Light and Darkness
by CuriousDreamWeaver
Summary: In the chaos that is the Juuban district, there's going to be a new player. Maybe this one will be the end of the Scouts? There are new characters and stuff. I know this idea has been done to death, but bear with me, onegai?
1. Prologue

Hey there!   
I'm DreamWeaver and this is my very first fic! I've read SO many that I thought I might as well give it a try and... well, y'know, see if I can actually write one. I dunno if I can, but let's see shall we? If you read it and like, it, tell me! My e-mail's DreamWeaver@dangerous-minds.com .   
Um, yeah. **The disclaimer.** I dun own any of the SM characters but I just want to play with them, ne? It's all fun! LOL.   
Anyways, on with the fic. I hope you like it!   


* * *

**PROLOGUE**

The first thing he heard was screaming. Mamoru looked around him to find the source but knew he wouldn't find it. All around him there were people screaming in agony and in rage as they fought. Large black monsters, soldiers in silver and violet, soldiers in blues and grays, all around him a battle raged on. He watched in horror as silver and violet clad soldiers fell, their blood seeping into the earth and splattering the marble floors of the enormous palace before him. He chocked back a sound of horror as the demons began to feed on the souls of the dead. The soldiers in blue and gray backed away in fear as they retreated as far away as they could. Soon, only the dark monsters were left. 

"What's happening?!" He yelled out. No one heard him. He suddenly felt a pain in his chest and clutched at his chest. His looked up and around him with pain filled eyes. Something... no, someone was hurt and they needed his help. He slowly and painfully began to walk towards the gardens. He soon started to jog and before he knew it, he was sprinting. He was yelling out for someone he didn't know. 

"Where are you? Please! Answer me!" He stopped at the entrance to the great gardens and looked around desperately. The feeling was stronger now. He dashed through the ornate gates and ran as fast as he could. He ran past destroyed garden beds and large patches of scorching earth. He came to a screeching halt when he came upon a a young girl. She was dressed in white, silver and violet. She was crying into her hands. Her hair had come undone and was hanging in a half unwound braid, the long chestnut curls waving in the wind. She fell to her knees as she looked at the bodies around her. Two large black mosters and a half dozen gray and blue clad soldiers littered the area around her. They didn't look hurt but the way they lay unmoving, completely and utterly still indicated they were dead. The ground around the bodies were smoking and torn up. Fat tears of pain and tension rolled down her pale cheeks from large violet eyes. There was a sound at her side but she didn't turn, her eyes fixed on the devastation around her. A young man, taller than her and dressed in black and gold stumbled out of the shadows. He took one look at the bodies and the ground before he rushed to her side. He fell to his knees beside her and clasped her closely to his chest, pulling her eyes away from the dead people. Mamoru tried to move forward but found that he was rooted to the spot, his legs unable to move. He watched with a growing sense of dread. 

"Shhhhh... Terra, don't cry. You did what you had to do." He stroked her hair soothingly as he hugged her close. 

"Celek... I killed them. I killed them all. Why couldn't they just stop? I asked them to stop. I begged them... why wouldn't they stop?" Her shoulders shook with her harsh sobs. The man, Celek, kissed her forehead lightly and stroked her face. He tried to give her a comforting smile but the long gashes on his cheeks and neck made it look so much worse. She whimpered loudly and reached up with a shaking hand to stroke his cheek. 

"Celek... you're hurt. Here, let me... let me heal you." She whispered. He caught her hand and squeezed it gently. 

"No, don't waste your energy. I'll be fine. Don't worry. In a couple of days, I'll be as good as new." He tried to smile again but winced. Terra's eyes filled with tears again.   


"No, it's not your fault. Terra." She buried her face in her hands again. "Terra, listen to me. We have to leave." 

"What? We can't leave. What about the soldiers here?" Celek's face looked strained as he replied. 

"Terra. They're dead. The Shadow Stalkers have claimed them. They're gone." Terra shook her head in horror. 

"No. No, you're lying. Please tell me you're lying Celek. Please. They can't all be dead. They have families... they have homes. They can't be dead." Celek looked at her with sorrowful eyes, the slit pupils narrowing further. She boke down into loud sobs as the severity of the situation hit her. 

"I'm sorry Terra. They died fighting to defend their land. They died honorably. We have to leave Terra. We have to. We need to go to the Moon Kingdom and warn them." 

"I did. I called Sailor Pluto to ask for help. She-she said that she couldn't help us. The Moon Kingdom couldn't afford to spare any men to help us." Terra waved a hand around the destroyed gardens. "She said that if they did, there would not be enough for the Moon Kingdom to defend itself. I-I didn't know what else to do." 

"She refused us? Did you speak to Queen Serenity?" Celek's face was angry. 

"I-I... Sailor Pluto, she said the Queen was too busy to attend such matters." Celek's face was almost white with rage. "Celek? Celek, what's wrong?" 

"That bitch! She left us to die!" 

"She... I'm sure she had her reasons." Terra said softly but she looked doubtful. 

"Terra, she refused to help us because it would not fit in with her perfect future!" Celek spat. Terra bit her lip. 

"I'm sure she was telling the truth." 

"Terra, look, we have to get out of here." 

"But-" 

"Too late Half breed." Celek's head whipped around to where the harsh voice had come from. A tall dark shape detatched itself from the shadows and stalked forward. Dark blond hair fell into blue eyes that glared at Celek but heated when he looked at Terra. 

"Gascon." Celek hissed. He got up and stood defensively in front of Terra. Terra got up to her feet behind him. 

"Why did you join with Beryl?" Terra asked. 

"She offered me you." Terra frowned slightly, uncomprehending. Several more dark shapes slid out from the shadows to form a semi circle around her and Celek. Gascon stood behind the Shadow Stalkers and waited. 

"Leave Gascon, and I won't kill you." Celek hissed. Gascon just shrugged his shoulders and waved a hand. 

"I'm sure you would. Get him. Don't hurt the Princess." The dark Shadows streaked across the ground and closed the gap between Celek and themselves in less than a second. Celek brought up his sword and made a wide swing with it. Black energy shot out in an arc from his sword and they were forced back. One of the Shadows was cut in half and it dissolved with a high pitched scream. 

"Die. All of you. I will never let you touch Terra." 

"I don't want to hurt her. I want her as my Queen." Gascon said. Celek's golden eyes flashed and he snarled as the Shadows began their attack. Terra tried to help but they had woven around Celek so tightly that she wouldn't have been able to hit them without hitting Celek. She bit her lip in indecision. She knew he needed her help. She saw long cuts appear on his back and arms but didn't want to hinder him. She was worried about how sluggish he seemed. Celek spun around wildly, his sword flashing through the air and dispatched more of the Shadows. As they fell, Gascon frowned angrily. He stalked forward while Celek was distracted with the final shadow. Terra screamed in warning. 

"NO! CELEK! LOOK OUT! PSIONIC PULSE!" A small ball of silver energy shot out of her hand just as Celek turned to block Gascon's sword. The Shadow took no moment of hesitation as it sliced it's claws into his back. The normally lithe young man would have been able to block any double attack but he was swaying drunkenly even as he blocked Gascon's blow. He fell with a soft sound. As he fell, the silver ball hit Gascon and the Shadow. It burst into a strong cage of silvery threads of psionic power. Gascon snarled in pain as he felt the very fabric of his being start to rip apart under the assault. He left his Shadow to die as he teleported away. Terra ran to her fallen lover and clutched him to her chest. 

"No... Celek, please, don't go. You promised you'd never leave me. Remember? You never break your promises." She hugged him tightly, even as his blood flowed freely between them. Her white clothing became slick with his red blood. He lifted a hand and gently stroked her cheek and offered her a weak smile. 

"I'm sorry Terra. I never meant to break any of my promises to you. I'm sorry this had to be the one I broke." Terra caught his hand as it began to fall and pressed it to her cheek. She glowed with a silvery light. The glow reached out to surround them both. Celek gasped as he felt energy being pushed into him. Terra gasped softly but didn't stop. 

"Stop! Terra!" Celek choked out as he struggled to sit up. Terra shook her head but the glow died down anyway. Celek felt fear snake through him as he realised what she had been doing. 

"Terra... you shouldn't have. It's too late for you to save me. I can't..." Terra kissed him lightly. 

"I couldn't leave you. I can't let you go alone." 

"Terra, it's too late for me. I'm going to die." Terra sobbed softly as she buried her face against his neck. 

"No, you're not going to leave me. I'll stay here with you. Forever. I won't ever leave you Celek." 

"Please, get out of here while you still can." 

"No, I won't leave you alone. Not like this. I love you Celek." 

"I love you too Terra. For always and forever." He could feel her gathering her remaining power around her. He knew she was going to kill herself, even as he felt his own life ebbing away. He felt something tug at his soul and weakly looked up at her. Tears were coursing down her pale face but she gave him a loving smile. 

"My soul and your soul, forever as one. Always and forever." She leant down and pressed her lips against his. Filled with love, devotion, passion and heart ache, her kiss told him of everything she felt for him. He weakly returned the kiss but all the emotions were there. He felt tears running down his own face as he weakly tried to hold onto life. 

Mamoru cried out as an enormous eruption of silver power exploded around the pair. 

---------------------------------- 

"No!" Mamoru shot upright in bed. His breaths came in quick painful gasps as he looked around him in pain. He slowly calmed down enough to run a shaking hand through his sweat soaked hair. "Kami-sama.... what was that?" He asked himself shakily. He looked out the window and saw the moon. He couldn't quite remember his dream but he knew whatever it was, it signified something coming. Something bad. 


	2. Chapter 1

Hi there!   
Um, another chapter! It's kinda long... Um, sorry?   
Yeah, usual **disclaimer**. I dun ow SM or any of the characters, I have no money... unfotunately, and yada yada. Blah blah. There. It's done! LOL.   
Anyways, on with the story, ne?   
Hope you enjoy!   
Oh yeah, before I forget!   
"Blah." Talking.   
blah.' Thinking.   
::blah:: telepathic communication O.o   
[blah] Notes. Except for the ones that are like [1] and stuff. Those ar are for informational purposes. 

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Class! Class! Quiet down!" Everyone sat down and stared expectantly at Miss Haruna. "All right, now, we're going to go over last night's homework. Now, is there anyone who hasn't done their homework?" Miss Haruna stressed her words pointedly at Usagi and Minako. Said girls looked around innocently and tried not to meet her eyes.   
"Are you sure you all did your homework?" She asked again. Usagi was starting to sweat and Makoto and Ami looked at them in pity. Makoto silently thanked the Kami for remembering to do it before she went to sleep and Ami... well, she always did it anyway.   
"Er..." Usagi started to crack but before anything happened, there was a knock on the door.   
"Hm, please wait a moment class." Miss Haruna cast Usagi a look before going to the door and opening it. There was the buzz of hushed conversation before Miss Haruna stepped back from the door and opened it wider. The class watched as two figures entered. A girl and a boy.   
"Class, we have two new students joining us. They have just moved here from China. Would you please welcome them into the class." She nodded to the pair. "Please introduce yourselves and say something about yourselves." The girl stepped forward.   
"I'm Masaki Saotori. I like dancing and gardening. I recently moved here from China. Pleased to meet you." She was a very pretty girl, you could call her beautiful in fact. She had a gentle grace and soft beauty that you could look at for hours without getting bored. Her long chestnut brown hair fell behind her in a fat braid that fell down a few inches past her waist and was tied off with a black velvet ribbon. Bangs that were parted in the middle of her forehead were cut just before they fell into her large eyes and framed her creamy skinned, heart shaped face. She had the most unusual eyes anyone had ever seen. Their vivid violet color created a soulful and innocent effect to her face. The deep pools were the kind that you could lose yourself in at a glance and filled with the kind of compassion and playfulness that attracted the interest of those who happened to look into them. For a moment, some people could have sworn they changed to deep blue in the light but couldn't really tell. Long thick black lashes framed the deep violet eyes, her dark, slim brows arched gracefully over the soulful orbs and added to her gentle look. She was a short girl, maybe five foot four inches tall. The Juuban High School summer uniform did nothing to hide her pretty figure. She had a long and slender neck, slim shoulders and arms, generous bosom, slender waist, wide hips, and long slim legs. Her smile turned a little nervous when she noticed the boys staring at her with open interest. She stepped back slightly and the boy stepped up to her, a little in front and to the side.   
"I'm Hei Long. I like architecture and martial arts." He took off his black mirror shades and put them into the breast pocket of his jacket as he spoke and everyone froze for a moment. He was a handsome young man, in a mysterious and dark sort of way. His eyes were an arresting gold with flecks of deep amber, the brooding depths openingly challenging the other boys in the room. His dark brows arched over his enigmatic eyes, the slant stubborn and thoughtful. His tanned skin went perfectly with his thick wild black hair, the unruly flow giving him a slightly savage yet mysterious look. His hair was overly long at the front and fell into his eyes. He brushed them away but they only fell back a moment later. He was tall, a full head and shoulders over Masaki, with a slim athletic frame. He had a lanky build, long arms and legs, but there was a sense of power and control around him that made people know he was a force to be reckoned with. His slim waist and hips were hugged by the uniform black pants but fell loosely enough for a wide range of movements down his legs. His high collared black jacket was open and showed his crisp white shirt. The top buttons were undone and the shirt untucked giving him a rebellious look. He ignored the admiring looks from the girls and concentrated on intimidating the boys. Miss Haruna looked at his uniform and shook her head.   
"I hope you will make these two feel welcome." As everyone chimed in with an affirmative response and she nodded. "All right, who's going to show them around?"   
"I will!" Miss Haruna was almost blown off her feet by the enthusiastic response. Boys and girls had raised their arms, each one of them drooling at the new students. Masaki had shied uncomfortably away from the stares from the boys and had half hidden herself behind Hei and he glared at the boys and ignored the girls. Miss Haruna could feel a headache coming on. What a way to start the new school week, she thought. She looked around for someone who would make these two feel welcome and be reliable enough to be able to help them if they had any questions. Two people popped into her mind and she decided.   
"Ami, Usagi. I know you two will be able to welcome these two. I want you two to look after them. Put up your hands." There was a collective groan of disappointment and Miss Haruna frowned. "Quiet. Put up your hands you two." Ami put up her hand dutifully and Usagi blinked and followed. Masaki smiled at the two girls and Hei nodded.   
"Does this mean we get to miss out on classes?" Usagi had a tinge of hope in her voice.   
"No Usagi, you won't be missing out on any classes. You're in the same classes and the ones you're not in, you can just show them the rooms and introduce them." Usagi sighed in disappointment but smiled at Masaki and Hei. "All right, now, there's an empty seat behind Usagi for you Masaki and beside that seat and behind Minako, the other blond girl, is a seat for you Hei. Please sit down so I can start the class." With a nod, the pair made their way to their seats. Masaki smiled warmly at Usagi and Minako as she walked past them and sat down. Hei stared at Usagi for a brief moment before he sat down next to Masaki. He ignored everyone else in the room as he took out a note book and a pen. As soon as the pair had settled, Miss Haruna started the class. Everyone resisted the urge to groan. Maths. Again. 

Usagi felt alert for some reason. She was usually asleep by now but something was stopping her. She could feel a slight buzzing in the air, some sort of energy build up. It didn't feel bad, in fact, it made her feel rather energetic and kept her from falling asleep. No, it was a pleasant feeling. It was coming from right behind her. She felt it coming from Masaki since the girl had stepped into the room and she didn't know what to make of it. She was a very nice girl, from what she could tell, and it she seemed genuinely sincere. But something else was in the air, it was reacting with Masaki's energy and it was sort of warping it into a mix of heavier energy. It seemed to electrify the air, envigorated you. The air was always charged, everything had energy but most of the time you didn't feel it because it was always like that, but when the air energy around you changed, you could tell. Usagi glanced over her shoulder at Hei and frowned slightly. There was something about him... it wasn't negative but it was dark... Hei looked at her and she blinked. His eyes had locked onto hers in a heart beat and she hadn't even noticed he had moved. They pierced her to her soul and she had to look away. All of a sudden, the charge in the air disappeared and the air went back to normal. It made her feel a little disappointed and she glanced around at her friends. They were also throwing curious glances at the pair as well and had noticed the change. Usagi saw Ami tapping at her Mercury Computer while she took notes. She caught Usagi's eye and shrugged. She didn't know what it was either. Without the charge in the air, Usagi began to get sleepy. Bit by bit, her eyes slowly closed and she fell asleep, her head resting against her arms. Her soft snores barely noticeable under the buzz of Miss Haruna's voice. She yawned widely, attracting the attention of the people around her who sweatdropped, and then snuggled deeper into her arms.   
"USAGI!"   
-WHAM- A chalk duster smacked Usagi's forehead as her head jerked up. With a small whine Usagi saw Miss Haruna coming over with a dark look on her face. She stopped right next to her desk and frowned down at her.   
"I've told you to stay awake during class! I'm tempted to give you another detention during lunch!" Usagi's eyes began fill with tears up and an excuse leapt to her mind but before she could say it, Miss Haruna continued. "But, because you will be helping Hei and Masaki around, I will let it pass. I do not want to catch you asleep again! Is that clear?!"   
"Yes Miss Haruna." Usagi was cowed by the display and sank down in her chair. It wasn't fair. She sighed and listened to Miss Haruna continue her lesson, albeit with a slightly glazed look to her eyes, after all, she wasn't sleeping, just... dreaming. She got a sudden idea and scribbled a message down on a note of paper. She kept her eyes to the front and passed it back to Masaki. She felt her take it and quickly moved back into her former bored posture. A moment later, she felt her nudge her back and she reached back and took it. She smiled when she read the note and nodded to herself. She threw a quick smile over her shoulder before she went back to trying to stay awake. 

::Airen [1], what was that note about?:: Hei inquired as he dropped his eyes down to the note book in front of him as he took notes. Masaki smiled slightly as his familiar presence came to life in her mind.   
::Ah. Usagi wanted to know if we'd like to sit with her at lunch. I hope you don't mind that I accepted.::   
::It's all right. I think it would be nice if you two were friends. After all, we're going to be here for a long time.:: She smiled and mentally nuzzled his cheek as she took down notes on auto pilot.   
::Mm. I wonder how much Japan has changed since I lived here. I mean, I haven't set foot on the island in over seven years. How do you like it so far Hei-koi [2]?::   
::It seems nice enough. People seem nice too.::   
::Mm hm. I wonder how much it's changed since I was last here.::   
::From what you've told me, it hasn't changed all that much.::   
::I guess. Let's take a look around when after school. I want to see what kind of place this is. Maybe we'll find a nice soda shop.:: She felt Hei roll his eyes when she mentioned soda and mentally poked his side. ::Oh, quiet you. I'm sure we can find some devil chocolate ice cream for you while we're at it.::   
::Promise?:: He asked in an amused tone.   
::Promise. As long as you're paying.:: She gave a soft mental laugh.   
::Fine. If I get to choose what we're having for dinner tonight.::   
::All right. As long as I know how to make it. I'm not letting you in the kitchen againafter last time.:: She felt the faint embarassment coming from Hei and relented. ::You can come in as long as you don't touch anything. Besides, you make a wonderful salad.::   
::I want lasagna. Lasagna and Ceasar salad. I'll make the salad.:: Masaki laughed softly and nodded.   
::All right then. We'll have to make a stop at the supermarket then.:: She paused thoughtfully. ::While we're going to the supermarket, we might as well go see where the nearest mall is. I want to find that new book I was looking for before we moved.::   
::That one about Magic? I thought you already had it.::   
::No, the one I have is about lycanthropy. I want the one about earth spells.::   
::You and your weird interests.:: She gave him a mental image of her sticking out her tongue at him when he gave her a mock exasperated sigh.   
::If I do recall correctly, you were the one who read the lycanthropy book more than me.:: He laughed softly in her mind and they sat in a comfortable silence as the class dragged on.   
::You know, it's pretty lucky that you got me to learn Japanese why we were in China. I would be almost helpless if you hadn't made me learn it.:: Hei said. He heard Masaki's soft laughter in his head.   
::You would have learnt it anyway. After all, we were together all the time. I didn't know Mandarin or Cantonese, you didn't know Japanese. We had to teach each other.::   
::True, true.:: He felt her nuzzle his cheek and they left off their conversation. A warm and silence sat between them as the class wore on. They didn't mind, content in the presence of each other. 

"I thought that would NEVER end!" Usagi said as she stretched her arms above her head as she and the others walked out of the class room.   
"Yeah, even for Miss Haruna, that was boring." Minako agreed.   
"Did you guys notice the charge in the air?" Ami asked out of the blue. Everyone paused and nodded slowly.   
"Yeah, it felt like someone had... I dunno, electricity. That's the only way I can describe it." Makoto commented.   
"Yeah. I felt it. It seemed to be coming from Masaki and Hei." Minako said.   
"I was scanning them with the Mercury computer during class. It was very strange. I got readings that cancelled each other out. One moment there would be an abundance of dark... not negative because it wasn't bad, but dark and heavy, then there would be a burst of positive and light energy. It was... weird." Ami was frowning slightly, trying to figure out what it was.   
"Oh no! I forgot!" Usagi exclaimed as she stopped. She turned around and started to hurry back to the class room.   
"What?" Makoto asked.   
"I asked Masaki and Hei to sit with us at lunch! I forgot all about them!" They sweatdropped as they watched her race towards the building. Trust Usagi to forget something like that. 

::Airen, Usagi just walked out of the room with her friends.::   
::Mm, well, I guess we'll just have to find somewhere else to sit for lunch. It would have been nice to sit with her. She seems nice.::   
::Miss Haruna yelled at her for falling asleep.::   
::Now now, be nice Hei-koi. It WAS a boring class you know.::   
::True, true.:: Hei walked up to her and took her bag, holding it in the same hand he held his. He took her hand and turned around to see Usagi standing at the door with a slightly sheepish look on her face.   
"What?" He asked. Usagi felt herself jump slightly at his almost emotionless voice. Masaki rolled her eyes and poked his side.   
"Forgive him Usagi. How can we help you?"   
"Um, you want to sit with me and my friends for lunch?" Masaki smiled and nodded. Hei let go of Masaki's hand long enough to reach into his pocket and slide on his shades. Brushing his bangs out from under the tinted glass, he took Masaki's hand again. His tanned skin looked darker against her pale skin, her hand so much smaller than his.   
"Sure, Hei-chan and I would love to." Hei stood silent but Usagi got the impression he agreed with Masaki.   
"Um, okay. Come on then." Usagi waited for Masaki and Hei to reach her before they started to walk together out of the class room. Masaki tugged on Hei's hand as she walked beside Usagi.   
"Juuban seems like a very nice school." Masaki commented as they walked through the hall and out into the yard.   
"Oh, it is! They're very nice here. The teachers are pretty good too. Kinda boring though." Usagi blushed a little when Masaki laughed softly, remembering how she had fallen asleep during class. "I don't really find school fun. But I do get to see my friends so it's okay!"   
"That's good. School's a great place to meet new people."   
"Yeah. I just wish we didn't have classes." Usagi smiled at Masaki's soft laugh. They passed a bunch of boys from their class. Their eyes followed Masaki as she passed by and they started to talk amongst themselves.   
"Wow! What a babe!"   
"Yeah! You think she's got a boyfriend?"   
"With that body? Of course she does!"   
"You think he's still in China?"   
"What about that Hei Long guy? They seem to know each other." They stopped when they saw Hei look at them over his shoulder. His golden eyes flashed behind his shades and they gulped. It seemed that she was already taken. They quickly started to talk about something else. 

::Hei-koi, be nice.:: Hei turned his head back to the front and squeezed her hand lightly.   
::I am being nice.::   
::You'll never get anywhere if all you're going to do is intimidate them.::   
::If they really want to be friends, they won't let me intimidate them.::   
::That's a rather harsh view. Give them a chance Hei-koi. I'm sure they're all right once you get to know them.::   
::I know, I know. I'll give them a go. Maybe. Besides, with you around, the world isn't lonely. I enjoy being with you.:: She rubbed her thumb against his hand and smiled at him. Usagi and Masaki were chattering away cheerfully when they finally reached the spot that Minako, Makoto and Ami were sitting.   
"Hi guys!" Usagi said as they sat down. Minako and Makoto sighed dreamily at Hei but he ignored them. They sighed in disappointment when they saw him holding her hand. He was taken. But still, they made a lovely couple.   
"Hi!" They chimed cheerfully back. Masaki and Hei sat down, a friendly smile on Masaki's face and a nod from Hei. Hei settled down on the ground with his back against the trunk of the tree while Masaki sat right next to him, practically glued to his side. If the others thought it was weird, they never said anything.   
"Hi. Thanks for letting us sit with you."   
"It's nothing. We want to be friends with you."   
"Oh, I'd really like that." Masaki said sincerely. She smiled again and they started to eat their lunch.   
"So, you just moved here from China?" Makoto asked.   
"Yes, that's right. Hei and I moved here a little over a week ago. We've been busy with moving all our stuff since then."   
"How different is Japan from China?"   
"Oh, well, China and Japan seem to be the same so far. We haven't really seen more than the inside of our apartment. We've had to organize everything so we haven't had a chance to get out and see the city."   
"Our?" Usagi blurted out before she could stop herself. She turned red and covered her mouth.   
"Yes. Our fathers thought it would be better if we stayed together." Masaki replied calmly as she popped a piece of chicken into her mouth.   
"Oh."   
"So you're not here with your parents?" Masaki shook her head.   
"No. Our father's have business in China. I moved to China quite a few years ago and haven't been back here since, so my father thought it would be good if I finished my education here and meet a few of my relatives. Hei wanted to come along so we came together."   
"Oh. Why'd you want to come to Japan Hei?" Usagi asked. Hei looked up from his food but didn't say anything. He sat for a quiet moment before he gave his answer.   
"Masaki was going to Japan." He stated simply and went back to eating. Everyone but Masaki stared at him. She leant up and kissed his cheek lightly before she went back to eating.   
"Erm... So, you said you liked to dance Masaki?" Masaki perked up and nodded enthusiastically.   
"Yes! I love dancing!" Her enthusiasm was refreshing and everyone smiled.   
"What kind of dancing do you do?"   
"Oh, lots. I really like freestlye and ballroom."   
"Freestyle?" Makoto asked as she swallowed a mouthful of rice.   
"Mm hm. Um, have you ever seen hip-hop?" At the negative response, she frowned slightly as she tried to sum it up. "Well, I guess the closest thing to a description I can give you short of actually getting up and showing you is... well, free style. It's sort of... you just go with the flow really. No set steps, nothing. Just go where the music takes you." She shrugged, unable to further describe it.   
"It souds fun." Minako commented as she imagined it in her head.   
"It is. Maybe when you go to a dance club, you'll see it."   
"You said you also liked ballroom? That's the kind with a partner and those fancy dresses and stuff, right?" Usagi asked as she munched on a piece of beef. Masaki laughed softly.   
"Yeah, you could say that. It's not always with the fancy dresses though. That's just if you're in a competition."   
"What's it actually like dancing with a partner? Does it actually affect how you move?" Ami asked. A curious question worded in a way that made you think of a PE assignment.   
"Well, you have to be able to match your movements with your partner's or else it could get messy. But if you can move together, it's great. It's a lot like freestyle in the way it lets you move with the music."   
"So are you going to have to find a new partner? Did you leave him in China?"   
"Oh no. He's right here. Hei-chan was my partner. He's very good on his feet. Very graceful." She smiled fondly at him, a look that he returned. "I guess his martial arts training had some good secondary uses. Martial arts and dancing are very similar."   
"That's right. You said you like matial arts, didn't you Hei. What style you practice?" Makoto asked. He paused for a moment before eating the piece of chicken he had been bringing up to his mouth. There was a lengthy pause of silence before he answered.   
"Sword fighting, Wushu, Chinese Kempo. Lots of styles." He went back to eating after his brief input into the conversation. Masaki gave them a smile and began eating again. Their movements were in sync, alomst as if they had timed their movements together.   
"Did you learn any martial arts?"   
"Oh, I learnt Wushu. Hei-chan insisted I know how to defend myself in case he isn't around." She smiled up at him and laughed softly.   
"How long have you two known each other?" Minako asked curiously. As the Senshi of Love... there was something about these two that made her smile. It was akin to the feeling she got from being around Usagi and Mamoru.   
"Hm... Let's see... I moved to China when I was seven so that makes it nine years." Masaki turned to Hei and tilted her head at him. "It's been nine years, right?"   
::It's seemed longer than that.:: He didn't say anything out loud but Hei replied softly in her mind as he kissed her cheek.   
"Aw... you're so cute!" Minako gushed. Masaki blushed slightly but leant against Hei's side and he wrapped and arm around her.   
"So what do you guys like to do?" Masaki asked as she put away her bento and then Hei's.   
"Oh, I like to read comics and play video games and eat ice cream and... and..." Usagi started to drool at the thought of food and quickly dug into her lunch. Masaki smiled and laughed softly.   
"I like to cook and do martial arts." Makoto broke in. "I want to be a chef when I finish school. I want to run my own restaurant."   
"Really? Wow, that's pretty cool. I'm sure you'll be able to become a great chef!" Masaki said encouragingly.   
"Yeah! Makoto makes the best muffins!" Usagi said. Makoto smiled modestly and offered Masaki a muffin.   
"Want to try one? They're blueberry."   
"Blueberry? Those are my favourite!" Masaki took one and broke it in half. She offered the other half to Hei before she took a bite. Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely. "These are great! I have no doubts that you'll be a great chef! Don't you think so Hei-chan?"   
"They're good." Hei said as he finished off his half of the muffin. He gave Makoto a nod of approval and went back to being silent.   
"I'm glad you guys like it." Makoto could feel a slight blush starting up her face from the praise but shook it off.   
"See? Isn't she great?" Usagi said as she beamed at her friend.   
"Yes, you did and you were right Usagi." Masaki smiled and finished off her part of the muffin. "So what do the rest of you guys like to do?"   
"I like to read." Ami said. "I also do after school classes."   
"What kind?" Masaki asked curiously.   
"Oh, mostly extra study and advanced courses. I like learning different languages as well."   
"You sound busy." Ami nodded.   
"But it's fun. I like it."   
"That's all that matters though, isn't it?" She smiled and Ami felt as though she had found someone who shared her interests.   
"Yes! Exactly!" Ami was about to go into her discussion about advanced subjects when Minako broke in.   
"I like to play sports. I really like to play volley ball. What about you?"   
"I've never played volleyball before. I like soccer though. Do you?"   
"Soccer's all right. I just like the feeling of volleyball better."   
"Masaki, do you want to come with us after school?" Usagi asked. "We'll show you around and we can have a snack!"   
"After all, it is Saturday tomorrow so we have all the time in the world with no homework." Makoto said.   
"Oh right. I'm in." Masaki smiled cheerfully.   
"Thanks you guys. This is going to be fun." Everyone smiled and they chatting about other things. 

::What do you think of them Hei-koi?::   
::They seem nice enough. Happy people. Like you.:: Hei mentally nuzzled her cheek as he listened to her chatting with the other girls, not saying anything to contribute to the conversation but comfortable being surrounded by the voices of the people around him. ::They seem nice. Usagi seems a little bubble headed but her intentions mean well. Ami is very bright and seems to be the brains of the bunch. Makoto is very tomboyish but still feminine. Minako seems to be nice as well. Her speech pattern indicates she's had some time outside of Japan.:: Masaki laughed softly. Her mental poke in the side made him smile slightly.   
::Trust you to look at them in such an analytical way. They seem familiar wouldn't you say? They're very nice.::   
::Of course they're nice. Everyone's nice to you Airen. Who couldn't be?:: Masaki smiled when she felt phantom lips brush against her cheek.   
::You're so sweet Hei-koi.:: There was the sound of a bell and Usagi groaned.   
"No! End of lunch already! But I was just getting comfortable!" Usagi pouted and got up. Everyone followed her brushing the grass of their clothes. "I've got Home Ec. next. What about you two?" Masaki looked down at her time table.   
"I've got Home Ec. as well. What about you Hei-chan?" Hei pulled his time table out of his pocket and looked at it.   
"I have Design and Technology." He glanced towards the building and shrugged. "I don't know where I'm supposed to go."   
"Well, I've got Advanced Mathematics next. The Design and Technology rooms are on the way to the maths block. I'll show you there." Ami said and he nodded. He leant down and kissed Masaki's cheek before heading off with Ami. She smiled and waved before following Usagi and Makoto to the Home Ec. rooms.   
"Do you like cooking Usagi?"   
"Yes! I love cooking!" Masaki smiled at her enthusiasm.   
"I like cooking too. It's relaxing."   
"Are you good at it?"   
"Well, I guess I can pass. I wouldn't make a chef of myself any time soon, but I can cook."   
"Really? All I can cook is curry." Usagi sheepishly admitted.   
"Well, that's a start Usagi. Everyone has to start somewhere. I started with peanut butter cookies. They're Hei-chan's favourite."   
"Really? Did you learn to cook them just for him?"   
"Oh, yes." Masaki blushed. "He use to come over to play a lot and always commented on how nice the cookies that my Dad bought were so I decided to make some myself. He said he liked them better."   
"Oh, that's so sweet!" Usagi gushed. Her eyes began to go dreamy as she imagined her Mamo-chan doing something like that. Makoto sweatdropped and sighed.   
"He can't cook to save his life though." Masaki laughed softly. "I've seen him try and it's very funny. He means well though. It's very sweet of him."   
"Well, trying is all that matters." Usagi piped up.   
"That's right." Makoto said as she opened the door for Usagi and Masaki and they walked in. Makoto and Usagi went to sit down at one of the desks and Masaki went to talk to the teacher.   
"Excuse me Miss?" The teacher turned around.   
"Yes? Oh, hello, are you new?"   
"Yes, I just came in this morning. Um, I signed up for this class because I did it in my old school. I was wondering if there was anything that I would need to know before I started?" She handed over some papers and the teacher shuffled through them, nodding every now and then.   
"Okay then. You don't seem to need to have to have revision work. If you have any problems, just tell me and we'll see what we can do. I'm Mrs. Habashi."   
"I'm Masaki Saotori. Nice to meet you." She smiled and Mrs. Habashi smiled back. A polite student! What a gem!   
"Do you have someone assigned to you?"   
"Usagi was assigned to show me around." Masaki pointed at Usagi as she chatted with Makoto. Mrs. Habashi smiled slightly. Usagi wasn't the best student but maybe Masaki would have a good influence on her and Makoto was a great cook so perhaps she'd be able to help. She nodded and let Masaki on her way. Seeing Masaki was finished talking with Mrs. Habashi, Usagi waved her over to the seat she had saved for her.   
"Masaki! Wanna be in a group with me and Makoto for the practical?" Masaki smiled.   
"I'd love to. What are we making?"   
"Mrs. Habashi's gonna tell us when everyone's in." The trio chatted to each other for a few minutes while some more people came into the room.   
"All right people. We've got a new student, Masaki Saotori. Please make her welcome." Mrs. Habashi looked around the room to make sure everyone was paying attention and nodded when she was satisfied everyone was. "We're going to be doing a practical lesson today and that means all of you have to get partnered up. Also, I expect everyone to have their hair tied back and to be dressed up in the appropriate equipment. I'm handing out the recipes and list of utensils you need." When no one moved she frowned slightly. "Well? Move it people!"   
"Usagi, where do we get the aprons from?"   
"Oh, over here, come on." She stopped at a work station and opened one of the cupboards and handed Masaki and apron and then took hers out.   
"Wow! We're going to be making some cookies!"   
"Mm, butter cookies are very nice. Ever tried them Usagi?"   
"Tried them?! I LOVE them!" Usagi started to drool at the thought of how nice they tasted and Masaki laughed. She pulled the apron on and asked Usagi to button it up at the back. Makoto had already started to take out ingredients and stuff as she waited for Usagi and Masaki to get ready.   
"So what's this class usually like?"   
"Usually? Mrs. Habashi's nice, a little bit rough, but nice. She doesn't give any homework and she can be really funny." Usagi chatted along cheerfully as they went through the class. Masaki smiled, maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Maybe coming to Japan was just what she needed. 

"Class, we've got a new student. This is Hei Long." Mr. Sano introduced Hei to the class. Hei nodded at the other students and went to sit down at the free desk. He listened to the teacher drone on and he sighed inwardly. This was going to be boring. The teacher seemed nice enough, it was just his luck to start in a theory lesson. They were so boring. And besides, it wasn't that much fun if the teacher kept talking about the chemical make up of all the alloys. He suddenly wished that he'd kept his shades on but knew he would have had to take them off anyway. He slumped in his seat and kept taking notes subconsciously. He didn't need them but it was for something for him to do. After a few minutes, Hei was bored. He could feel Masaki's amusement tickling the back of his mind and tried to look interested as he sat up straighter in his seat and kept taking notes subconsciously. He wasn't really interested in the chemical composition of alloys. He felt someone poke his back and he turned around. Some guy was grinning at him and holding out a note. With a blank expression, he took the note and opened it after he turned back to the front of the room.   
[You're that guy who came in with Masaki right? Does she have a boy friend?]   
Hei looked at it for a moment before writing an answer. Were these boys stupid?   
[Yes.]   
He sent it back. He heard a soft buzz behind him and felt another poke and took the note.   
[Really? Is he in China?]   
[No.]   
[So he's in Japan?]   
[Yes.] Hei was starting to get a little bit annoyed. Why didn't they get the point? He sighed and passed it back.   
[Are they close to each other?]   
[Yes.]   
[Oh. Does he go to school in Japan?] Hei wondered if they could be any denser but decided to see where this note passing would lead.   
[Yes. He started today in fact.] He waited a minute before he got another note.   
[What school does he go to?] He was tempted to ignore them but decided to keep playing.   
[This one]   
[Wow! Who is he? You know who he is right?]   
[Yes.]   
[Who is he?!] He looked at the boys behind him with a faint hint of amusement.   
[Me.] He passed it back and waited to see if anything else would happen. It was actually starting to get a little annoying.   
[You're her boy friend?]   
[Yes]   
[You're joking right?]   
[No.]   
[Are you sure? You're not just kidding us right?] He turned around and looked at the boys behind him. His golden eyes flared with an inner fire for a brief moment and the boys recoiled. They looked at him nervously and he nodded to himself.   
"Is there a problem Hei?" Hei turned around and looked at Mr. Sano. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and replied in a calm voice.   
"No, I just thought someone asked me a question." He kept looking up for a moment before going back to taking notes.   
::Hei-koi... ::   
::I was just answering their questions Airen.:: He heard her mentally snort, not a lady like thing to do, and laughed inwardly.   
::Sure you were Hei-koi. You're so odd.:: She said.   
::But that's what you love about me.:: Masaki's soft laugh sounded in his mind and he smiled a little. When she answered he felt her kiss his cheek.   
::True, true. Try not to scare off any more people okay? Usagi said we're going to meet some of her other friends. After that, you can buy me some soda.:: He had a mental image of her winking before her presence left his mind. He shook his head and resisted the urge to chuckle. In the front of the room, Mr. Sano rambled on. Behind him, he heard the boys muttering about him. He knew he should have been nicer but he couldn't really be bothered. He knew it would be easier if he made friends but he didn't feel the need. Besides, he didn't get lonely. Having an unbreakable link with Masaki meant that he'd never be alone. He had always preferred her company to anyone else's. He'd been a loner all his life so he didn't mind that he had no real friends. But it did make for some boring classes. He looked up and sighed softly. Now they were going through the properties of alloys and why they were used for. This was going to be a long lesson. 

Usagi practically ran out of the room, she was so eager to leave. Masaki and Makoto followed at a more sedate pace as they packed their books back into their bags. Usagi reappeared a moment later, her face slightly red from embarrassment.   
"I'm sorry Masaki! I forgot! Are you ready to go?"   
"Yes. So where are we going to go?" She walked over to Usagi and they walked down to the front gates.   
"There's a video arcade near here. Me and my friends meet there almost every day. You can meet Rei. She's a little crabby but can be really nice. Maybe you'll get to meet my Mamo-chan!" Masaki smiled.   
"Mamo-chan?"   
"Yes! He's my boy friend!" Usagi started to babble excitedly about her 'Mamo-chan'. Makoto sweatdropped.   
"I'm sure he is." Masaki said and nodded in agreement with all of her dreamy expressions and situations. As they walked along, she saw Hei walking out of one of the science labs.   
::Hei-koi!:: Usagi blinked as Hei stopped in mid step and turned towards them. He smiled brightly at Masaki but gave her a blank expression and a nod. There was something between those two. Something that couldn't be put into words. Hei wordlessly took Masaki's hand and followed her. Masaki stopped and tilted her head at Usagi.   
"Usagi?" Usagi shook herself and kept walking. She'd ask Rei about it. Rei knew about all this spiritual stuff.   
"Oh, right. Coming." She started walking, casting curious glances at them every now and then. Hei pulled out his shades and put them on, just as they came to the gate. Ami and Minako were already there and waiting for them. When they reached the gates, everyone started walking.   
"So you guys, how was your first day?" Minako asked.   
"It was pretty good. It was interesting too." Masaki smiled as Hei rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand.   
"What about you Hei?"   
"It was all right." He stepped closer to Masaki and kept rubbing her hand.   
"Oh. Um, how was your DT class?"   
"Boring."   
"Oh." They lapsed into silence for a while. Masaki and Hei seemed happy with the silence. Minako kept looking at them with a smile on her face. As the Senshi of Love, it was a great! She practically skipped down the street.   
"Have you ever played Sailor V, Masaki?" Uasgi asked as they walked along.   
"Sailor V? No, I don't think so. What kind of game is it?"   
"You've never played it?! It's THE best game in the universe! It's about this super magical girl who saves the world from evil monsters!" Uasgi proceeded to tell Masaki all about the game, going into detail about how challenging and everything it was. The group made their way down the street and they came to the Crown Arcadei and the others ushered Masaki and Hei in.   
"Hello there Usagi! Hi guys!" A young man with dark blond hair greeted them cheerfully. He saw Hei and Masaki and smiled at them. "Who are your friends?"   
"Hi Motoki! This is Masaki and that's Hei. They just started at Juuban." Usagi cheerfully introduced the pair.   
"Pleased to meet you Hei, Masaki." Motoki said. Masaki smiled at him and Hei just nodded his head.   
"Come on Masaki! You've got to try Sailor V!" Usagi dragged Masaki to the console and sat her down in front of the controls. Hei stood by her side and watched as she started. She was a little akward at first, dying a few times before she got the hang of it. She smiled as she got further into the level, gaining as many points as possible. Usagi was cheering her on from the side and Makoto, Ami and Minako were watching with an encouraging air. She finally got game over a little into the fifth level but had raked up such a high score that her name appeared at the bottom of the top ten. Masaki laughed softly and got up. Hei kissed her cheek.   
::Did you have fun?::   
::Oh yes! It was very interesting!:: She smiled happily up at him.   
"Wow! That was great Masaki! You got such a high score!"   
"Thanks. I didn't get very far though. But, it was a fun game. Thanks for telling me about it Usagi." They went and sat at the counter, Hei declined to sit and stayed standing next to Masaki.   
"Usagi!" Turning her head, Usagi saw a dark haired girl walk into the arcade and smiled.   
"Hi Rei! Masaki and Hei, this is Rei, Rei, this is Masaki and Hei." Masaki smiled and nodded her head at Rei and Hei just nodded. Rei stopped for a moment as she neared the pair, a strange expression flitting over her face. She could see a slight aura around them, one silvery, the other deep and dark.   
"Rei? Are you all right?" Usagi asked. She blinked rapidly and pushed the feelings away.   
"Uh... yeah. Fine. Pleased to meet you two." There was a moment of silence.   
Then there was a scream from outside. 

Darkness stirred. Slits of crimson opened and looked out into the darkness that surrounded it. It felt life flowing around it. It happened all the time. Life was continuously moving above and around it. It never moved. It was on a mission, it was to find her. The red slits slowly opened as it felt energy, high level life energy step above it. It wasn't her. It would know her anywhere but what it felt was enough to make it wary. Perhaps the Master would enjoy having something to feed on after so long. It started to rise. It's long limbs slowly, almost lazily, unfurled and it stood. The bubble that had kept it free from all the going ons in the outside world burst and it began to gather its power. It suddenly felt every single fibre in its body scream as she came. Its head jerked up and it felt her move around, closer towards where the other energy was and it licked its lips. Something akin to fear and almost overwhelming excitement rushed through it. It had found her! It began to make its way towards her. 

Something shot out of the ground in front of the arcade, spraying the area with debris. Usagi and the others reached for their transformation sticks. Not a sound came from the dust cloud but everyone had scattered. The only ones left were Usagi, Makoto, Minako, Ami, Masaki and Hei. Something stirred in the debris. Something big. Masaki stepped back as she saw the tall, lumbering form step out. It's pure black skin seemed to absorb all the light around it, casting a small aura of darkness to partially cover it. With long arms that almost touched the ground, it straightened and looked right at her. It took a lumbering step forward. It paused, watching her. And then it snapped into action, sending a long limb flying at her.   
"LOOK OUT Masaki!" Usagi screamed but Hei was faster. He had already grabbed her tightly around the waist and leapt to the side and narrowly missed the swipe as it hissed over his head. He rolled to take the brunt of the impact as they landed behind a car. He grunted but didn't let go. He rolled to the side and kept Masaki under him. He kept his hold on her as he reached into the shadows under the car.   
  
Usagi cried out a warning but was too late, the youma had already let loose its attack. She almost fainted in relief when she saw Hei grab Masaki and roll out of the way. She nodded to the others and they quickly took out their henshin sticks as she took out her locket.   
"Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"   
"Mercury Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Mars Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Venus Star Power, Make Up!"   
Under a brilliant flash of light, the four transformed and fell into their poses. They saw the youma move towards the car that Masaki and Hei were behind and sprang into action.   
"Hold it right there!" The youma didn't pay any attention to her and kept lumbering ahead. Moon frowned. They usually listened to her speeches. "I said hold it! You have no right to ruin this lazy afternoon! In the name of Love and Justice, I am Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" She sweat dropped as it continued to move forward. "Hey!"   
"That's not how you do it Sailor Moon! This is how! SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" Jupiter let loose a ball of concentrated lightning straight at it. Slicing through the air, it slammed right into its back. It stumbled forward a few meters before turning back to them. It's long head turned towards the car but it quickly turned back to them.   
"Where is She? Give me the One!" It's voice was guttural and grated on their ears. They winced. Mercury already had her computer out and was tapping away at it.   
"Mercury, did my attack do anything to it?"   
"I can't tell. It's... it's similar to one of Queen Beryl's youma or one of the Cardians but it's more powerful. It's like it's absorbing the life around it." She frowned and tapped a few more keys. "Whatever you do, don't touch it.   
"All right. Venus? Can you tie it down? I'll get it with a Sparkling Wide Pressure." Venus nodded and ran in. It lashed out at her and she dashed to the side. Rolling behind it, she faced its back.   
"LOVE ME CHAIN!" Venus let loose a chain of hearts that wrapped around the youma, securing its arms to its side.   
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" Venus let out a small cry of surprise as the youma suddenly jerked around. Before she could let go, she was sent flying. Right into the ball of lightning.   
"VENUS!" Moon ran towards her fellow Senshi. Venus screamed in pain as the lightning sent her flying. She hit the ground and rolled for a few feet before stopping. A low moan of pain could be heard as she struggled to her feet. Moon reached her in time to stop her from falling again. She leant heavily against her, her breath coming in deep gulps. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to get over the pain.   
"Remind me to tell Jupiter her attacks really do work." Moon gave her a small smile. She was going to be okay.   
"Give me the One! Where is she?" They looked at the youma as it broke free of the chain, small orange hearts flying into the air before disappearing as it snapped. Jupiter growled angrily.   
"Just for making me hurt Venus, I'm going to make you pay! SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!" Jupiter let loose a dragon of pure lightning at the youma. It put up a hand but was thrown backwards into a building. It crashed through the wall and was covered in another cloud of dust. Jupiter dusted off her hands and snorted. "So much for... that..." She stared up as the youma stepped out from the dust. It's body oozed black blood and it was doubled over itself but it was still standing. It's crimson eyes narrowed dangerously at her.   
"Where is the One?"   
"One?" Mercury said softly. She looked at Moon. The only one who she could consider 'the One' was Sailor Moon but it wasn't even making a move towards her. She saw it moving forward towards Jupiter. It's arm shot out before Jupiter could move. She started to cast a Shabon Spray Freezing but she knew it would never reach in time.   
"BURNING MANDALA!" Rings of fire sliced through the air and sliced through its outstretched arm. It let out a high pitched scream that made them all clap their hands over their ears. It held the bloody stump at its shoulder and hissed at them. It's remaining arm shot out and slammed into the ground, the long limb extending and slicing through the ground towards Moon and Venus. Venus pushed Moon out of the way as she herself moved out of the way but Moon just she fell over her own feet. She cried out as she watched the black limb speed towards her. She closed her eyes tightly. It never hit. She opened her eyes and saw Tuxedo Kamen's face. He landed lightly on a nearby car and set her down. He turned towards the youma as it retracted its arm. It turned towards them silently, its eyes burning with rage.   
"Where is the One?"   
"Who's this 'One' it keeps going on about?" Mercury wondered aloud.   
"Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to want to leave without it." She took a tight stance. This might be a little tough. "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" Jupiter threw a ball of concentrated lightning at it. Before it hit however, the youma turned and batted it away, the lightning ball speeding back towards her.   
"Whoa!" Jupiter barely leapt out of the way before the lightning ball sped through the spot she had just occupied. Its arm snapped forward but since it was still several meters away, it didn't seem like anything was going to happen. Ribbons shot out of its hand. Jupiter dodged to the side but one of the ribbons caught her leg and slammed her into the ground. She struggled but then stiffened as it began to drain her life away. She felt herself become weaker.   
"Jupiter! SHABON SPRAY FREEZING!" A stream of bubbles hit the arm that was holding her and it began to freeze. Jupiter gasped aand slumped over.   
"BURNING MANDALA!" The fire rings sliced through the frozen ribbon holding her and she slumped to the ground. Mercury ran up and helped her stand.   
"Are you all right?"   
"I could feel it pulling at my soul." She said softly, the youma taking on a new light in her eyes. It was far more dangerous than before.   
"Mercury? Can you do a Shabon Spray?" Mars asked. Mercury nodded and began to prepare her attack. "Sailor Moon, can you do your Moon Spiral Heart Attack once Mercury's cast her Shabon Spray?" Sailor Moon nodded. "All right. Do it Mercury!"   
"SHABON SPRAY!" A mist settled over the area and the youma looked around. Then it disappeared.   
"Mars! I can't see it! How am I going to hit it if I can't see it?" Sailor Moon looked around desperately. Mercury tapped away at her computer but couldn't find anything.   
"It's like it never existed." She looked up when she heard a noise. Her eyes widened as she saw crimson eyes staring down at her. It raised its hand and made as though it was going to wrap it around her head. It never got further than that. A long glinting sword materialised from the shadows and sliced through the youma's arm. Roaring in pain it staggered back. It was the last thing it ever did.   
"PSIONIC PULSE!" A tiny ball of light shot through the air and exploded in front of the youma. The ball unravelled into silver tendrils of power that wove through the air surrounding the youma and formed a sphere like cage around the youma which glowed brightly. It clutched at its head with its remaining arm and screamed soundlessly to the sky. The tendrils of silver energy burst in explosions of light. Everyone had to shade their eyes from the blast but when the light faded down, there was nothing left of the youma, just fading threads of energy that quickly disappeared.   
"What was that?!" Mars yelled. She looked around, assessing every nook and crany.   
"Shadow Stalker. I thought they were banished from this plane." A soft voice said off to the side. Mars' head snapped around as she fell into a stance. Whoever could throw such a devastating attack could be an enemy.   
"Who are you?"   
"Me? I'm no one." A young woman stood on the street corner some way from from the group. Jupiter was leaning heavily on Mercury and Venus was leaning against Moon who stood next to Tuxedo Kamen.   
"Who are you?" Mars repeated. The girl walked forward and they got a good look at her. She wore a white one piece suit, quite a lot like theirs. A high collar that covered most of her long neck, no sleeves and a body hugging suit that clung to her like a second skin from the neck part down to the tops of her hips. From there, the white skirt flared out slightly, the pleated skirt going down to mid thigh. She had long white gloves that went up to mid upper arm and didn't cover her fingers. Her white boots were in the same style as Moon's and Mercury's but ended less than an inch from the hem of her skirt. The boots, gloves and fuku had a deep purple trim all around the edges. A silver sash hung across her chest and back, attached to the shoulders of her fuku by two deep violet gems on her shoulders. A matching silver bow was at her back. Her hair was covered by a large white hat with silver and violet markings all around it. A small silver gem sat between her collar bones. It flared slightly with her movements. A silver circlet could be seen through the parting of her brown hair, a silver sigil glowing on her forehead. Three interlocking circles. The Senshi couldn't quite make out her face due to the same magic that kept them from being recognised.   
"I'm the Guardian of Earth. Pleased to meet you."   
"Are you a friend or an enemy?" Moon asked.   
"I'm a friend to you, enemy to them." She turned and started to walk away when Mars stepped forward.   
"Hey! We're not done asking you questions yet!" Guradian turned to look at her. Mars was about to take another step forward when the shadows in front of the girl peeled away. A taller young man stepped forward, his silvery sword glinting in the light. Opposed to the girl, his clothing was black. He wore a jacket, similar to the style that the Dark Generals from the Queen Beryl army, but with a high, Chinese style collar and an open front. The jacket hugged his broad shoulders and strong arms but left enough slack for free movement. Through the open jacket, he wore a dark blue shirt with a high neck. On the left breast of the shirt and jacket, there was an emblem, the same emblem that flared on the girls' forehead. His black pants clung to his hips but were loose and baggy to the knees. From the knees down, he wore shiny black boots. He wore black gloves that didn't cover his fingers. The entire outfit was trimmed with gold. From under the shock of wild black hair, gleaming gold eyes could be seen. Mars stepped back as she saw his pupils. They were narrow, the same slit pupils of a cat. He held the silver sword in his hand loosely but in a way that told you to back off.   
"Who are you?" Mars whispered. Behind her, Tuxedo Kamen started. He knew these two people. They were so eerily familiar. Mercury's computer started to beep quietly as it picked up a large build up of dark energy.   
"I am the Knight of Shadows. Do not threaten Earth. I will not allow you to harm her." So saying, he slid the sword back into its sheath at his hip and walked towards Earth. He reached out and caught her hand.   
"Be careful Sailor Senshi. Shadow Stalkers are dangerous. They will not stop until they are dead or they have completed their mission." She offered them a small wave and took the Shadow's hand. He pulled her close and stepped into the shadows. They both melted into darkness and disappeared before anyone could do anything. . Mars could only stare dumbly at the spot they had been.   
"What was that?! Guardian of Earth? Guardian of Earth?!" Mars asked when she broke out of her stunned state. Tuxedo Kamen stared hard at the spot they had disappeared from. Moon tapped his arm and looked up at him in concern.   
"Mamo-chan?" He shook his head and looked down at her.   
"Huh?"   
"What's wrong?"   
"Oh. Nothing." He gave her a smile to reassure her but a nagging feeling kept him from being completely honest. When Moon was going to say something else when a voice interrupted them.   
"Excuse me." Everyone whirled around in a ready stance but relaxed when they saw it was just Masaki. She was looking around worriedly. Hei held her hand and watched them passively from behind his shades.   
"Um, how can we help you miss?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.   
"Have you seen four girls anywhere? Two had long blond hair, one had brown and the other had short blue hair. Have you seen them?" She was worrying at her lip and Tuxedo Kamen stared at her for a long moment.   
"Have you seen them?" Hei asked as he watched the man in a tuxedo stare at Masaki. The man turned to him and seemed to shake himself out of whatever was making him stare at her. He seemed surprised under the intense gaze of younger boy. He looked away. That gaze was familiar though. It was though it was assessing him.   
"Oh, we sent them home. It was too, er, dangerous around here." Moon said. Masaki smiled in relief.   
"That's good. I was worried they might be hurt. I'll see them later at school then." Her eyes glanced around her and then back to them. "You're the Sailor Senshi aren't you?"   
"Um, yeah, that's right."   
"Wow! I'm meeting the Sailor Senshi! I think you guys are great!" Everyone blushed slightly under her praise as she beamed at them. She looked down at her watch. "Oh, we should be going. Um, take care. Come on Hei-chan." She gave them a friendly nod and walked away holding Hei's hand. Everyone watched the pair until they disappeared.   
"Have any of you heard of the Guardian of Earth before?"   
"I don't think so. We'll have to ask Luna. Or maybe Pluto." Mercury said.   
"Yeah. Luna might know." Moon commented. She turned to Tuxedo Kamen. "What's wrong?"   
"Nothing. Those two looked familiar though. That girl in the fuku and that guy with her. That other girl and boy looked familiar too."   
"I'll ask the Sacred Fire." Mars said. Everyone nodded.   
"Phew! That was close. I'm glad Masaki didn't get hurt." Moon detransformed and a moment later they followed suit and everyone was standing in their civilian clothing. "Maybe we should be going home now. It's getting dark."   
"Yeah, I'll see you guys later." Everyone split up, Usagi clinging to Mamoru's arm and asking him to buy her ice cream and everyone else their own ways, their thoughts on the strange girl and her companion. 

------------------------------------------------ 

"A new Sailor Senshi and a strange man you say?" Luna asked as she watched Usagi get ready for bed. Usagi nodded as she tied off her ponytails. She kicked off her slippers and climbed into bed.   
"Yeah, she was very pretty. She seemed familiar too, but I thought you said there weren't anymore Senshi. She did look different from the other Senshi though. Maybe she's just a fan of the Sailor Senshi."   
"The attack you told me about, I don't think any normal fan girl would be be able to throw an attack like that." There was a long silence. Luna looked at Usagi and sighed when she saw her charge was asleep. "Usagi..." Luna decided not to bother her. She had had a long day. She deserved her rest. Luna yawned and settled down to sleep under the moonlight shining through the window. 

`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-   
There! Done! Sorry it was so long...   
ANYWAYS...   
[1] Airen is the Chinese word for lover... aw.... LOL If you've ever watched Ranma 1/2, you'd know! ^_^   
[2] -koi is short for koibito which is the Japanese word for lover... aw... LOL. 


	3. Chapter 2

Heyo!   
Here's another chapter! Um, yeah. I don't really have much to say 'bout this chapter so... On with the story, ne?   
Oh yeah, **Disclaimer thingy. I dun own the characters from SM, I only own my two characters... **That's all I have to say... yeah.   
Enjoy! 

* * *

  
**CHAPTER 2**

He had seen her. It had been so long since he had seen her. Through the eyes of one of his spawn, he had seen her. He had waited one thousand years to see her again. Her beauty in form as well as essence had almost made him weep. His spawn had seen others with power similar to hers but not as concentrated or as pure. He could feel his hunger becoming more and more painful he had fed off his stored energy but it was growing smaller. He knew that no one could possibly compare to her but his hunger was getting more acute. He silently called out to more of his spawn. He would gather souls while he waited for her to reach her full potential. His thoughts moved back to the Senshi. Their souls would be so delicious. He would take their energy, eat it and wait for her. He could feel his hunger sing and he called out to his spawn to take energy. Perhaps he would come and join them. It had been a while since he had taken on a physical form. 

::Hei-koi! I've missed you!:: Masaki hugged Hei tightly as she caught up with him. He returned her hug just as enthusiastically. He hadn't had a single class with her all day and their need for physical contact was almost painful. Sure, their connection to each other was there for them to talk through but it wasn't the same as actually being in the same room.   
::I missed you too Airen.:: Hei rubbed her back as she snuggled deeper into his embrace. He looked up to see Ami, Makoto, Minako and Usagi watching them, each with a varied expression. Usagi was blushing and sighing dreamily. He could hear her murmuring something about a 'Mamo-chan'. Minako was blushing and smiling at them brightly, almost in approval. Ami was blushing and looking away demurely. Makoto was smiling widely with a slight blush. He slowly let go of Masaki and took her hand as she leaned against him.   
::Want some soda and ice cream?:: Masaki perked up at the mention of soda.   
:Soda? What kind of soda?:: Masaki asked. She looked very interested now.   
::Whatever you want. Wanna go to that ice cream parlour down the road?::   
::Sure!:: She glanced back and saw the others watching them. ::Want to invite them to come with us? It's the least we can do for them. After all, they've been so nice to us.:: Hei glanced at them before bending his head and kissing her cheek.   
::Sure. If you want to.:: Masaki smiled and turned back to the other girls. She waved them over.   
"Hey, you guys, want to come with us to the ice cream parlour? We're gonna treat you guys to some ice cream."   
"Treat us? You don't have to do anything like that." Ami said. Usagi was drooling at the thought of ice cream.   
"No, no. We insist. It's the least we can do. You've all been so nice to us. Let us thank you. Please?" The girls took one look at her bright smile and couldn't say no. They all nodded and her smile widened. She turned and they all started walking.   
"I forgot to ask. How are you guys?"   
"We're fine. Why?"   
"Remember yesterday when that monster came? We hid behind a car but we didn't see you. When we were sure that the monster had been taken care of, we came out and saw the Sailor Senshi! They're cool! Anyways, um, they said they had sent you guys home. So you guys are all right?"   
"Yes, we're fine. The Senshi protected us so we weren't hurt." Masaki smiled and they smiled back. They walked a little further before they reached the ice cream parlour. Hei opened the door for them and Minako commented to Masaki about what a gentleman he was. Masaki just laughed softly and walked over to a booth. Usagi sat down on the inside, Masaki next to her and Hei on the outside. Ami, Makoto and Minako sat down opposite them in that order. A waitress came up to up to them and she asked them cheerfully what they wanted. Her eyes turned dreamy as she looked at Hei who was taking off his sun glasses and he looked up briefly. She blushed deeply when his enigmatic eyes turned to her. He glanced at her for a moment before wrapping his arm around a girl sitting next to him. The waitress sighed. The cute ones were always taken.   
"So what would you like?" Masaki looked up and smiled at her. The waitress couldn't help but smile back.   
"I'll have a single cookies 'n cream cup with a raspberry soda. Hei-chan will have a double cup of devil chocolate with nuts." The waitress nodded. She turned to the other four girls. They paused and Masaki waved a hand. "Choose whatever you like. It's okay."   
"I'll have a double chocolate sundae with nuts, extra chocolate sauce, fudge and sprinkles." Usagi said enthusiastically, already drooling at the thought of it.   
"Um, I think I'll just have strawberry sundae." Minako said. Makoto looked at the menu for a moment before deciding.   
"I'll have a mint and chocolate cup."   
"I'll have a vanilla with sprinkles." Ami said. The waitress nodded and walked away.   
"You really don't have to pay for us." Masaki waved away the protest.   
"It's all right. Really. We want to."   
"All right. If you're sure." They sat in a comfortable silence for a minute.   
"What was China like?" Ami asked.   
"It was busy. Always busy. It's loud too, but so full of life." Masaki said after a moment of thought. "It's different from Japan."   
"When did you arrive here?"   
"Last week. We were spending most of the time getting our accommodation arrangements right, our registration into school, that sort of thing. That and we had to get use to the different time zones." Masaki finished a little sheepishly.   
"That's expected." Ami said kindly.   
"I guess. What's it usually like during winter here?" Masaki asked.   
"It's usually cold. It snows a little and it rains." Minako answered.   
"How was school different?" Usagi asked.   
"They're very strict. I mean, VERY strict. But I guess it means that you have to learn and you can't slacken off." Masaki shrugged. The waitress came back with their orders and set them down in front of everyone.   
"Enjoy." She flashed them a smile before leaving. Usagi rubbed her hands together before digging in enthusiastically. The others started to eat at a more sedate pace. Everyone looked at Hei's ice cream for a moment as they ate. It was dark, very dark. If the name of his ice cream suggested anything, it would be VERY rich. Masaki sipped at her soda before she started to eat her ice cream. Hei looked at them staring at his ice cream.   
"What?" They looked at him in surprise. It was the first time he'd actually said anything directly towards them without any prompting.   
"Is that rich?" Makoto asked. Hei looked at it for a moment before shrugging.   
"Yes. It's nice." He started eating again. Masaki laughed softly and explained.   
"Hei-chan likes food with a lot of taste."   
"Oh. I see." Makoto said before shrugging and eating her mint cup. They sat in a comfortable silence while they ate their ice creams, occasionally asking about Masaki's life in China. As they talked a shadow fell over their table and they looked up. A tall blond wearing a flirtatious smile and an aqua haired girl stood by their table. Rei stood by them and Masaki smiled welcomingly at them.   
"Hi there."   
"Oh! Michiru, Haruka, Rei! It's nice to see you." Usagi said. They nodded in greeting and smiled at the unfamiliar pair sitting next to her.   
"And who are your friends?" Haruka asked as she stared at the chestnut haired girl curiously. Usagi licked the chocolate sauce off her lips and introduced them.   
"Oh, this is Masaki." Haruka flashed her a charming smile that was set to stun. Unfortunately, Masaki didn't know that. Instead of blushing madly and stuttering, she just smiled back. Haruka looked at the boy next to her. His cold gaze and an arm wrapped around the girl's waist indicated that they were a couple.   
"And this is Hei." Hei nodded to Michiru but just looked at Haruka. "This is Haruka and Michiru."   
"Nice to meet you. Please, get a chair and join us." Masaki said with a warm smile which they all returned. When Haruka and Michiru and Rei had settled down on the chairs, Haruka decided to have a little fun. She reached out and picked up Masaki's hand. Raising it to her lips she gave her another beguiling smile. Masaki just looked puzzled and tilted her head at her.   
"Yes?" The other girls watched Haruka with curiosity and a little bit of eye rolling. Michiru was rolling her eyes and wondering whether or not she should stop Haruka's fun.   
"You've got a lovely shade of eyes. The deep violet of flowers at the peak of their bloom." Masaki blinked and turned to Hei as she took her hand out from Haruka's grip.   
"Are my eyes that colour?" Hei reached out and tilted her face up to the light gently. After looking down into her eyes for a long moment, he nodded.   
"Your eyes are that colour." Masaki smiled and kissed his cheek. Everyone sighed at the romantic scene. Haruka looked a little put out by her lack of success but Michiru shut her up by giving her a playful whack on the head.   
::Hei-koi, why would a girl be pretending to be a boy?:: Masaki asked as she looked at Haruka.   
::I don't know. Perhaps she likes the clothes.:: Hei could tell from the way Michiru and Haruka interacted that there was another reason but Masaki would probably take a while to understand. She had lead a pretty sheltered life and wouldn't understand something like same sex relationships. They wouldn't bother her, no, it wasn't Masaki's way, but she wouldn't understand it.   
::Oh. All right.:: Masaki mentally shrugged and went back to eating her ice cream. Hei smiled slightly and stroked her back.   
"Usagi! You're such a pig!" Rei said as she watched Usagi shovel the ice cream into her mouth. Usagi looked up and pouted.   
"Aw! You're so mean Rei!" Everyone laughed as they listened to the two banter. They chatted for another ten minutes before everyone finished their ice creams. As everyone stood, Hei walked over to the counter and paid for the ice cream.   
"Thanks a lot for the ice cream Masaki." Ami said. Masaki just smiled and nodded.   
"It's okay. I'm happy that you liked it."   
"So where do you guys want to go now?" Haruka asked.   
"Let's go to the Arcade. We can play video games and maybe we'll see my Mamo-chan!" Everyone sweat dropped except Masaki and Hei.   
"All right, let's go. Come with us Masaki, Hei." Makoto said. Masaki looked up at Hei for a moment before she nodded.   
"We'd love to."   
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone's head snapped to the side as they heard a scream. For a moment, all they saw were running people but then a car skittered across the road. Followed by a metal bench. A huge black figure came lumbering into their range of sight and everyone drew back. It's burning crimson eyes looked down the road as if it was looking for something. Masaki shrank back against Hei as it turned towards them. Its eyes flared brightly and it stepped forward.   
"Give me the One!" It's arm shot out and slammed right through the glass window of the ice cream parlour. Shattered glass made everyone duck and seek cover. Hei grabbed Masaki to his chest and fell with her to the floor, shielding her from all the glass. He ignored the glass that cut across his face and rolled with her under a table. He held her against his chest, her face buried against his shirt. He looked up to see that the others had taken refuge under tables and behind chairs. He heard something going crunch and looked up just in time to see the table they were under ripped away. Masaki gasped and he cursed as he adjusted his hold on her and surged to his feet just as the youma's hand slammed into the ground where they had been lying and ran for the counter. He leapt over it and shoved himself backwards so that his back was pressed against the all under the counter. He closed his eyes as they hid in the shadows. 

Usagi cried out in alarm as she watched the youma rip the table that Hei and Masaki were hiding under out from the ground. She watched in fright as Hei got to his feet and ran for the counter. She let out a sigh of relief as they made it safely behind the counter. She nodded to the other Senshi and they nodded back. Taking out her locket she held it up in the air.   
"Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"   
"Mercury Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Mars Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Venus Star Power, Make Up!"   
"Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!"   
"Neptune Planet Power, Make Up!"   
Under the brilliant light, the girls transformed into the legendary Sailor Senshi. They ran into the street to confront the youma.   
"Stop right there! How dare you terrorise the quiet streets of Juuban! For love and Justice, I am Sailor Moon!" The other Sailor Senshi struck their poses and introduced themselves.   
"I am Sailor Mercury!"   
"I am Sailor Mars!"   
"I am Sailor Jupiter!"   
"I am Sailor Venus!"   
"I am Sailor Neptune!"   
"I am Sailor Uranus!"   
"And in the name of the Moon, we will punish you!" Sailor Moon finished off.   
"You are the Sailor Senshi? I will take your souls!" With that, the youma leapt at them. Sailor Moon let out a shriek before throwing herself out of the way.   
"WORLD SHAKING!" A ball of yellow of energy screamed through the air and slammed into the youma's side. It was thrown into a building across the street and it let out a bellow of rage. A low growl was heard as it pulled itself out of the rubble. It's aura of darkness seemed pulse around it. It stepped onto a path of grass and the grass turned brown and died. As it did so, a faint shimmer in its aura caught the light for a moment before it snarled.   
"I did not like that. Prepare to die." It threw out both its arms and black ribbons shot out, tearing up the ground where they met. Everyone dived out of the way as the ribbons raced towards them.   
"I'll cut those ribbons! BURNING MANDALA!" True to her words, the rings of fire sliced through the ribbons. Before she could celebrate, however, the monster threw itself at her and knocked her to the ground. She cried out in pain as she slammed into the pavement. The concrete under her shattered. As she lay there, the youma reached down with a hand and touched her face. She cried out as it began to take her life force.   
"Mars, no! LOVE ME CHAIN!" Venus pulled with all her strength and hauled the youma off her friend. It twisted around before it landed and slashed at her with its arm. Venus barely managed to dodge and twisted around before it could get another shot at her. "CRESCENT BEAM!" As she shot off her beam, the youma ducked low to the side and avoided getting hit. It swept its arms low and knocked her off her feet.   
"DEEP SUBMERGING!" Blue energy hit the youma and it was thrown towards another building. It didn't hit it. It dug its fingers into the ground and stopped its movement. It kept its body low to the ground as it re-evaluated them through narrowed eyes. Sailor Mercury ran over to Mars and helped her sit up. She groaned in pain.   
"Mercury, that thing, it tried to take my soul. We can't touch it!" She slumped, feeling very tired. Mercury bit her lips and summoned her visor. As she watched the youma, indicators and gauges popped up all over her visor and she frowned.   
"You guys, it took some of Mars' energy. We can't touch it because it it'll take our energy too." She paused, then her eyes widened. "Everyone! Duck!"   
"What? What's wrong Merc-!" Before Jupiter could get anything else out, the youma opened its mouth and a ball of fire shot out. Ducking, Jupiter grunted.   
"What the Hell was that?!"   
"It took Mars' life energy! Her life energy consists of the element of fire! Of course it would be able to reproduce something like her attack!" Mercury said as she half carried, half dragged Mars to a sheltered area. She set Mars down carefully and typed quickly on her computer.   
"SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!" Jupiter let loose a dragon of pure lightning towards the youma as it turned towards her. Blue lightning danced across its body as it screamed in pain. Before the lightning stopped, it had lashed out in a random direction. Unfortunately, it managed to clip Jupiter's side before she could move and she cursed softly as she jumped awkwardly to the side. The youma shook its head and it glared at her, crimson narrowing to dangerous slits. She took a ready stance, watching it wearily. It stepped towards her threateningly.   
"PSIONIC BLAST!" A series of tiny balls of light shot past her. As though they were ripping through the air itself, there were ripples in the air behind it as they screamed past. Jupiter felt intense heat but intense cold at the same time as they moved past her. They slammed into the youma's side and hurled it away. It landed heavily on the ground and leant against a nearby building in order to right itself. It shook its head and let out a roar.   
"Sailor Moon! It's down! Hit it!" Uranus took no time in wondering where the new attack had come from. Sailor Moon blinked and nodded.   
"Uh, right." She took her sceptre from her subspace pocket and charged up her attack. The youma wasn't finished yet. It leapt desperately for Sailor Moon and everyone cried out as they were all too far to help her.   
"Ah! Help!" Sailor Moon closed her eyes and waited for the blow. Her eyes snapped open when she heard the youma cry out in pain. A red rose was sticking out of one of its eyes. It was roaring in pain and Sailor Moon felt Tuxedo Kamen wrap his arms around her and leap away to stand by the other Sailor Senshi.   
"Kamen-sama! You saved me!"   
"And not a moment too soon." Everyone's head turned towards the new voice. A ball of pure light hovered above her hand as she regarded the barely standing youma. Her sharp eyes watched it cautiously. From the shadows behind her, a man materialised and stepped next to her. It was the pair from the other day!   
"Youma! I am the Guardian of Earth! How dare you disrupt the quiet of this district. For attempting to take the soul of Sailor Mars for your own ends, I will punish you! BLINDING FLASH!" As she yelled out her attack, she threw the ball. The ball flew through the air and stopped a meter in front of the youma. As it looked at it cautiously, it exploded. The sudden explosion of light made the youma reel back in shock. Earth turned to Sailor Moon.   
"Now Sailor Moon! Finish it off!"   
"Right! MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" The youma never saw its end. With one last cry, it became dust that was blown away by the wind. Everyone stared at the spot it had been for a moment. Then they turned to Earth. She walked over to Mars as she struggled to stand up.   
"Careful Mars. Here let me help you." Earth gently laid a hand on Mars' shoulder and they were surrounded by a bright silver aura. A moment later, Mars gasped as she felt all her energy return and Earth stumbled back, her face a little pale. Her partner, Shadow, reached out and steadied her. He smoothed her hair from her face before she nodded. They stepped backwards but before they could go any further, Sailor Moon stepped forward. Earth bowed deeply and so did her partner.   
"Guardian of Earth? Who are you? And you Knight of Shadow, who are you?" Sailor Moon asked the black clad man.   
"Like I said before, Sailor Moon, I am the Guardian of Earth."   
"I am the Knight of Shadow, sworn protector of the Guardian of Earth." The pair turned to leave but a shout from Uranus made them turn back, Earth with an elegant eyebrow raised, Shadow Knight stepped in front of her and the light glinted off his drawn sword.   
"The Princess asked you a question! Answer her!" Uranus growled. Earth waved off her protector and tilted her head at her.   
"I answered her. She never specified which identity I was to reveal. Besides, I have places to go, people to see. Ja." With that, she stepped back into the shadows with Shadow and they melted into the shadows before anyone else could do anything.   
"Where did those two come from?!" Uranus asked angrily.   
"Calm down. I think we should go to Rei's temple and find some answers." Ami said. She pulled out her computer and tapped into it. "Luna? Artemis? Could you please meet us at Rei's temple? All right, we'll see you there."   
"You guys, we have to check on Masaki and Hei!" Jupiter said and everyone started for the ice cream parlour. As they came closer, the rather broken door squeaked open and Hei carefully looked out. He saw the Sailor Senshi and no youma so he stepped out from the doorway, Masaki holding onto his hand behind him. He looked at them for a moment.   
"Hi. We meet again." Masaki said with a smile. The Senshi returned it. "You haven't happened to have seen any girls around have you? Um... " When she was about to start to describe them, Moon interrupted.   
"Oh, we, um, sent them home." Masaki nodded.   
"Oh, thank you. Um, it's nice to see you again. We have to be going. Ja." Masaki bowed to them and Hei gave them a nod before they walked away. Something nagged at the back of the Senshi's minds but the brushed it away. They had bigger fish to fry. With a nod, everyone leapt onto the roof tops and started running and leaping across the buildings as they made their way towards Hikaru Shrine. Maybe they'd get some answers about the new players in the game. 

"What do you think happened?" Luna asked Artemis as she paced up and down the porch of the shrine. Artemis sat lazily against a beam of the house and watched the horizon for any sign of their charges.   
"I don't know. Ami sounded pretty serious. Do you think it has anything to do with that mysterious girl and boy they saw the other day?" Luna sat down from her pacing and frowned.   
"Yes, I think it does have something to do with them. I keep getting this nagging feeling that I know who they are but I can't quite place it." As Luna pondered over it, Artemis nodded.   
"Yeah, I know what you mean. They sound familiar. Especially that silver gem that Minako described. I just can't remember where it's from."   
"Artemis! Luna!" The cats looked up to see the Sailor Senshi on top of the roof. They quietly jumped down and Mars ushered them into her room. Once safe inside, they detransformed and sat around her room.   
"All right you guys, we need to find out who those two are." Uranus said testily. She needed to know who those two were. The nagging feeling she had was starting to bug her.   
"Luna, Artemis, can you tell us anything about her? She said she was the Guardian of Earth."   
"Guardian of Earth?" Luna asked, her brow furrowed in thought. "Yes, it does sound vaguely familiar but... I'm not quite sure where I've heard it."   
"The Guardian of Earth was the Princess of Earth." Everyone jumped and spun around towards the corner of the room to see Setsuna Meiou, clad in her usual perfectly ironed and tailored business suit, sitting on a chair sipping from an elegant teacup. Hotaru was standing by her with a small smile. She sat down by Michiru and Haruka. Setsuna had brought her because she knew that she would need to hear what she had to say. Her crimson eyes looked at them intently.   
"The Princess of Earth?" Mamoru piped up. "I don't remember having a sister." Pluto looked at him for a moment.   
"Tell me your Highness, do you remember anything before the battle between the Moon Kingdom and Queen Beryl?" Mamoru frowned as he thought and shook his head after a long moment.   
"I don't remember anything before that."   
"Do any of you remember anything before that time?" Setsuna asked as her gaze moved around the room. She was met with shaking heads.   
"You don't remember anything before that time because it was never considered necessary. Princess Terra died before the fall of the Moon Kingdom. Queen Serenity's magic never reached her." Setsuna took a sip from her tea and looked up again. There was a strange saddness in her eyes, a sort of regret but that passed quickly as she continued to talk. "She was the last defender of Earth against the power of Queen Beryl and the Shadow Stalkers. She destroyed the armies left on the planet as Beryl made way for the Moon. Because she died before the magic of the Silver Crystal could help her, it was not expected that she awaken to her former self."   
"I had a sister?" Mamoru broke out. Setsuna nodded.   
"She was a kind, gentle young woman. She had only just been named as the Guardian of Earth."   
"Why wasn't she a Senshi? "   
"Earth had never needed a Senshi. Earth was the very last planet to join the Silver Millenium. It had had a tradition of having a Guardian of Earth rather than a Senshi. The Inner Senshi were the bodyguards of the Princess while the Outers protected both the Queen and the Silver Millenium. The title of the Senshi ran through the royal families of the planets. The title of the Guardian of Earth does not run through the Royal Family. The individual may be male or female, unlike the Senshi, and one person is chosen whenever the planet itself feels as though there is a need for a new one, or for one at all if the previous Guardian had died many years before the next Choosing. The Guardian may be from the Royal Family or they may be from the slums of the Palace City. Either way, the Guardian is a very special person to the planet. I have not heard of a Guardian in all my time since Princess Terra was killed."   
"How... how did she die?" Mamoru asked in a shaky voice. Usagi held his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.   
"Her lover and fiancé was fatally wounded protecting her. In an attempt to save him, she fed him some of her own life force. But because she had expended so much of her own power trying to save her people, she had barely enough to keep herself alive. As he died, she killed herself in a suicide blast. The blast was fired off minutes after Queen Beryl began her attack on the Moon Kingdom. She managed to kill every one of Beryl's allies and troops that were present in the Earth Palace. In her last efforts, she bound her and the soul of her lover to together and made sure they would be reborn together."   
"I... I should have been there to save her." Mamoru said quietly. Usagi hugged him.   
"There wasn't anything you could have done Mamo-chan." Usagi said.   
"The Princess is correct. Princess Terra would have made sure there was no way for you to return to Earth. She knew that you would have to be with the Princess because she would have needed you." Mamoru closed his eyes.   
"I don't remember her though. But I still feel so sad."   
"The appearance of the Guardian of Earth foretells of a new enemy. She would not awaken unless something dangerous is threatening her planet. She was the very first Guardian to be from the Royal Family. Before her, every single Guardian had come from the lower classes. It was of great suprise to those of the Silver Millenium that she had been chosen. Especially to the Royal Family of Earth. Her father had been quite adamant that she should not take the mantle but the Earth itself made it's intentions clear and he was forced to bow to it. But you, Prince Endymion, were not suprised. After all, you had watched her grow up. The presence of her psionic powers from birth and the way every creature and plant was in tune with her made her the perfect candidate."   
"This Knight of Shadows, he was with her when he saw her. Who is he?" Rei asked.   
"The Knight of Shadows was the son of a middle class family. He was also half demon. His mother was a Shadow Stalker from a clan of the demons who had refused the life of their more violent brethren and opted to try and live peacefully with humans. His father was a strong fighter from the Royal Guard. For his half breed blood, Celek was mostly shunned throughout the social world. Despite all that, none could deny he was an incredible fighter. Not only with a sword but with magic as well. His magic was concentrated on darkness and shadows. For example, he could walk through shadows. Despite his good looks and quick mind, he had a cold, almost unemotional demeanour. Because of that, it was such a surprise that Terra accepted his suit. But opposites attract as they say. His darkness and her light were too tightly intertwined for anything to break them apart. Their death was tragic." Setsuna looked down at her tea for a long moment before she looked up. "Because of the need for her, I have to reawaken your memories of the Silver Millennium. All of them. Are you prepared?" Everyone nodded slowly and Setsuna stood and with a wave of her hand became Sailor Pluto. "Very well." She tapped her time staff against the floor and the room was bathed with light and they remembered. 

--------------------------------------------- 

"Terra! You are the Princess of Earth! I cannot allow you to consort with... with that half breed!" Large violet eyes narrowed dangerously and the air shimmered slightly with suppressed power. A circlet of silver rested on her brow just above the flaring silver symbol of the earth : three circles joined together to make an upside down triangle. Her silver dress was off the shoulders with a violet sash tied under the bust. A silver gem rested in the middle of the sash.   
"How dare you! Celek hasn't done anything to deserve your scorn! He fought for us! What right do you have to judge him?" The King of the Earth started to redden in anger as he stared down at his slender daughter. Her long chestnut hair started to wave in the air as she fought down her anger.   
"You dare speak to me like that? I'm your father!"   
"And I'm your daughter! Treat me like one! Not some sort of commodity to order around!" Before her father could bellow in outrage, Endymion, Crown Prince, stepped in.   
"Father, Terra, calm down." Endymion was relieved to feel Terra's power being carefully pulled under control, the invisible threads of energy wrapping around her again.   
"Very well." Terra said. Her voice almost back to its normally sweet and gentle tones. She relaxed her body and stepped down the stairs that led to the upraised dias that the throne sat upon and faced her father in a calmer manner. Her father had calmed down somewhat but anger flowed off him in waves.   
"Terra, I am only looking after your well being. He is not good enough for you. He has nothing to his name."   
"He fought his own kin to protect the citizens of this city. His family and land was destroyed while he fought for us against the Shadow Stalkers."   
"He IS a Shadow Stalker!" King Endymion snapped out. Terra's eyes flashed before she settled back into a calmer stance.   
"He may be part demon, but he is a kind man. He is just and he is loyal to the Royal Family. He deserves none of the scorn you're showing." She said.   
"Father, she is right. He fought bravely and did everything he could and lost everything in return. The least we could do is give him consideration." Prince Endymion said, carefully putting together his words. Terra gave him a grateful look that was quickly squashed by her fathers next words.   
"I will not let Terra marry the half breed!"   
"Do not talk about him that way! I love him!"   
"You don't know what love is! You're just a child!" Terra's eyes flared as her careful control snapped for a brief moment. The marble floor around her cracked and splintered as she struggled to maintain her hold on her devastating powers.   
"That's it. I will not stay here anymore and listen to this. He has asked me to marry him and I accepted." Her voice had become a husky whisper of barely supressed anger. She turned on her heel, her long silver skirts swirling around her ankles, and stalked out of the enormous throne room, her slippers making a soft tapping sound against the marble floor. King Endymion bellowed in anger after her.   
"Terra! Get back here! You insolent child!" Terra ignored him and disappeared from view. King Endymion continued to yell after her before he suddenly went silent. Prince Endymion was torn between going after his sister and reassuring his father about how Terra was just rebelling for a moment. His father went quiet and he gave a loud sigh. He was shaking his head when Endymion turned to him. He rubbed a large hand down over his bearded face and leant back tiredly into his chair.   
"I didn't mean for it to get out of hand like that." He said softly. "I've forgotten how much like your late mother, Goddess bless her, she is. So spirited and quick to defend a loved one. I should never have tried to tell her not to see him. It only made it worse. Polar opposites yet so alike." King Endymion lapsed into a thoughtful silence and Endymion wondered if now was the time to go after his sister.   
"Father?"   
"Go to her. Tell her I didn't mean what I said. If she really does love Celek, she has my blessings. After all, he is a powerful young man and he would look after her far better than any of the others who are chasing after her heart. He would never hurt her. He really does love her. I see it in his eyes. Quite like you and Serenity." Endymion blushed at the teasing note in his father's voice and coughed in embarassment.   
"She does love him father. It would be great if they were to marry."   
"I agree. Find Terra. Tell her she has my blessings." Endymion nodded and left the room. His four Guardians stood by the door with raised eyebrows. They had seen Princess Terra storm out of the Great Hall and had heard the raised voices. Endymion could see slight cracks in the marble floor and shook his head. The marble would have to be replaced again.   
"What were they fighting about now?" Kunzite enquired. Endymion shot him an exasperated look and Kunzite understood.   
"Celek? Again? I thought they had worked that out."   
"Father finally gave his blessings. After she stormed out. I've got to go find her now." Endymion said as he walked past them. They followed behind him and talked among themselves as they observed the slight cracks that ran along the marble floors and tiling around the gardens. Endymion walked quickly out of the main palace and went into the gardens. He turned to face his Guardians.   
"Stay here. I have to talk to her alone." They nodded and took up guarding positions at the entrance of the private section of the garden. With a nod, Endymion entered and headed for the secluded glade that Terra loved and found her, as he expected, to be sitting by the clear pool in the center of the shaded clearing with her back to him. Her silver dress was dappled by the light that broke through the dense leaves of the trees above her. She dipped a slender hand into the clear water and waved her hand around as she hugged her knees to her chest.   
"I know he didn't mean it Endymion. It... hurt to hear it though. And Celek doesn't deserve that sort of treatment."   
"Celek's a good man." Endymion said truthfully. He admired and respected Terra's beau because of the sacrifices that he had made in order to aid those who had helped him.   
"Yes. He is." Terra said softly, her violet eyes softening to a deep blue as she thought of him. Endymion sat down next to her and stared down at the water thoughtfully. Widely known for her kind and generous nature, Terra was also known for her icy attitude towards those seeking a relationship with her. It probably had something to do with how her father kept pushing her to find a husband. Despite her public displays of reluctance, she was one of the most sought after females in the System. To find out that she was in love, let alone with a soldier and a half demon, was a suprise.   
"Where is he, by the way?" Terra sighed and traced a pattern in the water. Endymion watched as tedrils of silvery thread waved around her as she manipulated the water that dripped off her hand and changed the drops into random shapes.   
"He had to attend to some business with his uncle in the Southern Sector. He should be back in a few days."   
"You already miss him?"   
"Yes. I miss him when we're not together." Terra dropped her head onto her knees and watched the light reflect off the water.   
"Perhaps you should let Celek talk to father. Let him show him that he's serious. It might make all the difference."   
"I guess I should. But I'm afraid that father or Celek will say something that the other doesn't like and then it will get worse. I don't want either of them to be mad at each other."   
"You know father only does it because he loves you." Endymion said gently.   
"He treats me like a child. He always has. Ever since mother died."   
"You're his only daughter, and like he always says, you remind him so much of her that he's afraid to lose you." Terra nodded.   
"She died ten years ago Endymion. I've tried to show father I can look after myself but he's never given me a chance."   
"He promised mother that he'd look after you."   
"I know, but he can't make me give up the man I love."   
"He doesn't want to. He just wants to make sure you don't get hurt."   
"I know." She said softly as she sighed deeply. Endymion sighed and looked at the water.   
"You know. Father finally gave his blessing to you." Terra's head turned to look at him in suspicion.   
"You're not joking with me are you?"   
"No, I'd never do that."   
"Are you serious? No joking?" She repeated.   
"No. I'm serious. Father has given his blessing. As soon as Celek comes back, he can go talk to father about wedding plans." He was unprepared for the force at which his sister threw herself at him. Her skirts billowed out as she hugged him tightly.   
"I'm so happy! Oh! Father, I love you!" She cried out happily. Endymion coughed loudly as he felt his ribs creaking under the force of her hug.   
"Not so tight Terra..." She looked up at his face, and quickly let go at the expression of pain.   
"Oh! I'm so sorry Endy! I'm just so happy!" She hugged herself and went back to watching the water. Endymion noticed that the large drops that floated in the air were making heart shapes and flowers.   
"I think you compliment each other perfectly." Endymion said as he watched the water moving under her influence. Terra tilted her head and looked at him over her shoulder, her happy smile still on her lips.   
"How so?"   
"Darkness and Light. Your Light, his Shadow." Terra looked thoughtful as she considered his words. She nodded slowly.   
"Darkness and Light. Both halves of the same whole." She gave him a bright smile and hugged him tightly. Thank you Endy. You're the best brother any girl could ever have!" He hugged back warmly and smiled down at her. She was a ray of sunshine when she was happy, the light of the kingdom. 

------------------------------------ 

Princess Serenity glanced out towards the Earth Palace Gardens. The beautiful flowers were in full bloom once again. She let out a small cry of surprise as a splash of water fell in front of her. A chestnut haired girl popped up from behind one of the bushes.   
"Princess Serenity! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." The girl worried at her lip, her voice was full of apology. Serenity laughed and stepped carefully over the puddle and came around the bush to her. She sighed as she lifted her long skirts as she moved. Silly dress. Though it looked nice the thing was far too impractical for everyday activities. She came around the bush and noticed that Terra had opted for a short tunic style dress in her usual silver and violet colors. The always friendly young lady was on knees tending to the lovely rose bushes that formed the short walls to the paths around the magnificent Earth Palace Gardens.   
"I've told you to call me Serenity. After all, I will be you sister soon Terra." Terra smiled a little sheepishly.   
"I'm sorry. Force of habit." She dusted off her loose tunic style dress and got up. The silvery coloured cloth suited her. She walked over to a bench with Serenity and they sat down together. "So how it it going with you and Endy?" Serenity blushed slightly.   
"Endymion and I are going well."   
"Oh, I've come up with a great design for your bouquet at the wedding. Here, let me show you." Terra pulled out the sketch pad that was leaning against the stone bench. She flipped over several pages before coming across the page she wanted. She showed it to Serenity. "It's got red roses, white roses and yellow roses. The red represent love and passion, the white innocence and purity," She laughed softly at the blush that went over Serenity's face and patted her hand comfortingly. "and yellow for friendship."   
"Oh, that's a lovely bouquet." Serenity said as she looked at the pencil coloured in sketch. Terra nodded.   
"It was designed to match your wedding dress. See how the ribbons fall here and here? It matches the symmetry of your dress." The pair spent over an hour discussing what kind of materials she would be using and what flowers went well with it and so on and so forth. Serenity watched Terra as she spoke. The Earth Princess' generosity was amazing. She didn't have to do all this for her wedding, they had people for that already.   
"Why are you doing all the preparations yourself? Aren't there people for that?" Terra tilted her head and smiled.   
"You two deserve the best wedding possible. The love you two share should be celebrated. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't do anything." Serenity reached out and hugged her. Terra smiled and returned the hug.   
"Now... what's this I hear about you and that Celek getting married?" Serenity watched in facination as a deep and becoming blush spread over the bridge of the Earth Princess' nose. She looked at her hands.   
"Celek asked me to marry him a week ago. I accepted him. We're planning to get married six months after you and Endy." She was fiddling with the hem of her tunic, her beautiful face still pink. Serenity giggled and patted her hand.   
"Now, let's discuss your wedding then, Terra." Terra blinked.   
"Discuss it?"   
"Yes. What kind of dress are you going to wear?"   
"Uh..."   
"You're going to have it in silver and violet, right?"   
"Well, yes, but-"   
"And Celek. He's going to wear his usual black, right?" Terra nodded.   
"He thought that-"   
"I think he should have a black tuxedo jacket with a dark blue under shirt."   
"We were thinking of having him wear his Royal Guard uniform."   
"Yes! He looks so dashing in that! What about the flowers?"   
"I was thinking irises and some white -"   
"I think I'll bring in the Moon Kingdom's best dress designers! They'll be able to make you a wonderful gown!"   
"Oh, don't put yourself to the trouble of it Serenity! I couldn't let you do that. Celek and I were thinking of having a quiet ceremony in the Great Hall with relatives and friends."   
"No, no. That won't do! You two deserve a huge wedding!" Serenity was about to go into a description of everything when Terra laughed.   
"Serenity! Think about your wedding before you think of mine! Your wedding will be talked about for centuries to come! I want your wedding to be perfect, a ceremony to befit your social status as well as show how much you and Endy deserve to be together. Your love is a magnificent thing, it will last forever! I want everyone to know how much you two mean to your friends and family." Serenity could feel tears coming to her eyes and she threw her arms around the other girl's neck.   
"Oh! you're so sweet and caring Terra!" Terra smiled and hugged back. 

------------------------------------   
  
"Hello Sailor Mercury!" Mercury looked up from the large leather bound book she had been sifting through and saw the gentle face of Terra. She smiled and started to rise.   
"Princess Terra, it's good to see you again." Terra waved a hand and sat down on the seat opposite the blue haired Senshi with a smile.   
"Don't go into the titles. They're such a bore."   
"Very well, if you just call me Mercury."   
"All right, Mercury it is. So, what are you up to, mm?" Terra looked at the heavy book sitting on the desk curiously. She began to read the fancy script upside down.   
"It's a book written over two centuries ago by a Mercurial scholar who visited the outer fields of the solar system. He writes about the amazing sun crystals and incredible cultures he sees along the way. It's a great book."   
"Oh! I know this series! Father has the entire series! I'll be right back! I'm sure you'll love them!" Before Mercury could protest, Terra had already left the room in a flurry of silver and violet silk. She returned more than ten minutes later, a happy smile on her face.   
"Mercury! I have that book you wanted." Terra waved from the library doors as she called out. Mercury had gone back to reading the book as she waited for the Princess to return and smiled. She watched as Terra came into the room followed by her ever present beau. Terra was holding a large leather volume and Celek was carrying a half dozen or so as he followed sedately behind her. As she stopped and placed her book on the table, Terra leant up to kiss her suitor Celek on the cheek as he set his books down on the huge oaken table before he melted back into the shadows. He nodded respectfully to Mercury before he left.   
"Princess Terra, you shouldn't have gone to the trouble of looking for those books." Terra smiled cheerfully and picked up on of the large books she had brought with her and set it down on the table in front of her as she took a seat next to the scholarly Mercury. She pulled one big book out of the pile and set it down in front of Mercury.   
"I found these in Father's personal. He won't mind. He hasn't picked up one of these books since Endy got engaged. He's gone out with Endy to make sure he doesn't get into trouble with his Guardians again. Last time the five of them managed to get lost in the back woods behind the larger manor of Lord Hammersway, the one in Velvet Falls, and lost their horses. The silly boys had to be teleported back because no one could find them in the enchanted woods." Terra laughed softly. Sailor Mercury smiled a gentle smile as she opened the huge leather bound book.   
"It's got some other books in the series so I brought them along too." Terra added as she waved a hand at the large pile. Mercury frowned slightly.   
"You didn't have to go searching through the archives to find their location did you?"   
"Oh no, Father told me where they were. I knew he had them somewhere so I just went and asked him. No trouble at all, really." Mercury nodded and her eyes widened as she flipped through the pages.   
"Oh my, there's so much in here. Thank you so much for finding it for me! You didn't have to do that." Terra smiled.   
"It was okay, besides, I like helping people. Here, I'll go get us something to eat. I want to see why you keep reading these books." Mercury smiled as Terra got up to get some food. What a nice girl. 

------------------------------------ 

Sailor Mars sighed and wiped her brow as she relaxed. A cold wind swept through the Fire temple and she shivered. She was visiting the Fire temple of Earth in order to make sure that the flow of Fire was balanced. It was her way of relaxing she supposed. After all, Princess Serenity had requested for them to relax while she had some alone time with Endymion.   
"Sailor Mars? Are you there?" Mars turned at the familiar voice. Princess Terra stood by the doors of the temple with the Knight of Shadows by her side. Celek was holding her hand and glanced at her unemotionally.   
"Yes, Princess Terra. Is anything wrong?" Mars frowned and stood up from her kneeling position. Terra smiled and shook her head.   
"Nothing's wrong. I was just wondering if you were hungry. We brought you something to eat." Celek held out a covered basket to her. "There's bread, sweet meats and fruits. I wasn't quite sure what you wanted so I just put a whole lot of stuff in there."   
"Oh. That's so kind of you." Terra just smiled and nodded to Celek.   
"Well, we'll be going now. Enjoy your meal Sailor Mars." With that, Terra and Celek melted into the shadows and Mars looked down at the basket. Now that she thought about it, she was pretty hungry. She pulled the cover back and smiled. She silently thanked Terra again as she started to eat. 

------------------------------------ 

Jupiter was bored. Very bored. She sat in the shade of one of the many large trees around the Earth Palace and sighed. It was two days until the wedding and she had nothing to do. Sure, she wouldn't mind helping Serenity out with all the arrangements, but Serenity had insisted that she relax. Now that Jupiter had the time to, she didn't know what to do. She considered going to the combat rooms but she realised she didn't know where they were. She didn't want to bother one of the many and hurried servants running around so she decided to go look for it herself. After many minutes of looking around the maze like Palace, Jupiter was getting frustrated.   
"Where is it?!" She muttered under her breath as she leant against one of the cool marble pillars of the throne room.   
"Sailor Jupiter! You seem a little lost. Is ther anything I can do for you?" Jupiter glanced up. Then down. Princess Terra was a fair ways shorter than her and she smiled at the polite and quiet girl.   
"Ah. Yes. A little."   
"Where would you like to go?" Terra asked.   
"I was wondering if you would happen to know where the combat rooms are?"   
"Ah! Yes! I do. Celek's there. Would you like me to show you where they are?"   
"That would be very helpful."   
"All right! Follow me!" Terra smiled and she started to lead the way.   
"So Sailor Jupiter, what do you think of the Palace?"   
"It's very... big." Jupiter said with slight embarassment. She hadn't really paid any attention to anything around her when she was looking for the combat rooms. Terra smiled kindly.   
"I understand. I remember when I was younger that I always had to have a nanny of sorts around me so that I wouldn't get lost. Well, I did get lost. Plenty of times. But it never stopped me from loving the great halls and winding staircases."   
"Yes. There are a lot of staircases around here." Jupiter said. Terra laughed softly and smiled.   
"Yes. My Mother always said that..." Terra trailed off suddenly, a wistful look on her pretty face. Jupiter felt a pang of sympathy and sadness as she recognised the look on her face. Though she still had her parents, she knew of many people who did not. Jupiter had heard the story of Queen Gaea's death. A sad story.   
When Terra was five, Queen Gaea had been struck down by a deadly and painful disease. The doctors of every planet had been called by King Endymion in an effort to save his beloved wife but it had been for nothing. She lived painfully for the next year, trying never to let her pain show to her children, especially Terra, until Terra had turned six. She had passed away during the night of Terra's birthday party.   
"I'm very sorry about your mother." Jupiter said quietly as Terra stared off into space.   
"Huh? Oh, it wasn't your fault." Terra blinked away the tears that threatened to come and quickly plastered a smile to her face, the purple of her eyes giving away her sadness. "Besides, Mother was happy to the very end. She always said that."   
"Ah." Jupiter didn't know quite what to say. They turned the corner and stepped into a great hall, the room lines with weapons of every sort and mats for fighters to fight in. Jupiter smiled widely at the room.   
"Thank you so very much Princess Terra."   
"Just call me Terra. Are you all right now? Do you still need me?" Terra asked.   
"Uh, no, I think I'll be fine here." Jupiter had already moved to a mat that had been vacated. She smiled as she began to think about all the training she could do. She looked up to see Terra throw herself into her fiance's arms. A smile on both their faces. 

------------------------------------ 

Away from all the people fussing with decorations, a lone Sailor Senshi sat. She was bored. As the Senshi of Love, it was amazing to be around Serenity and Endymion because of the love that they gave off and it was boring to be around people rushing about and fussing. She sighed again.   
"Are you bored?" Venus looked up to see the smiling face of Princess Terra.   
"Uh, yeah." Terra sat down next to her.   
"Would you like to play match-maker with me?"   
"Match-maker? Really?" Venus smiled in excitement.   
"Yes really. I mean, with all these people here, there are bound to be people who are just made for each other." Terra pointed at a pair of nobles as they stood. The young girl was blushing to what the young man was saying. He was blushing too and Venus felt something stir inside. Wow! Another pair of soul mates! They spent the entire afternoon talking about who should go with who and Venus couldn't remember when she'd had so much fun. 

------------------------------------ 

Uranus pulled Neptune closer as they kissed. She wrapped her arms around the shorter young woman and the pair were too busy to hear the door of the room open.   
"Oh my! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you two." The pair leapt apart as they saw a madly blushing Princess Terra standing at the door. She was staring at the floor.   
"It's all right Princess Terra. This Palace is your after all." Uranus and Neptune prepared themselves for the disgust they'd see in the Earth Princess' eyes. Terra looked back up and offered them an embarrassed smile.   
"I really should have knocked. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in their rooms yet. I'm so sorry." Terra hovered at the door and came further in when Uranus nodded. She pulled in a cart behind her that was loaded with towels and other assorted accessories. "I thought that you'd like to have some of these. Because each suit has a bath of its own. Since we were a little short on hands, I'm taking stuff around to everyone." The two Senshi stared at her with a little surprise. They hadn't expected this kind of reaction, but her silent acceptance made them feel better. If this young girl could accept them, maybe they weren't doing something so bad as everyone made it out to be. 

------------------------------------ 

Sailor Saturn sat in the shade of the Gardens. She was lonely again. No one would talk to her because of the legends surrounding her heritage. She sighed deeply and watched as a leaf fell.   
"Hi there. Want to talk?" Saturn looked up to see the Princess of the Earth smiling down at her. She didn't know what to say. Terra sat down and Saturn eyed her warily.   
"Why would you want to talk to me? I'm the Silencer." She said almost bitterly. Terra shrugged.   
"You seemed a little lonely. I thought we could talk." Saturn looked at her as her mind worked quickly. She wanted a friend. Needed a friend. This girl was offering friendship and she didn't know whether or not to take it. She bit her lip and stared at her. Terra offered her a hand with a warm smile.   
"Do you want to be friends?" Saturn looked from the hand to the face. Both were warm and inviting. She nodded slowly and shook her hand. A friend. A friend at last. 

------------------------------------ 

Everyone's eyes cleared of light and they shook their heads. Pluto looked at everyone as they sat in silence.   
"I can't believe I couldn't remember someone who was so kind to me." Hotaru whispered as she looked at her hands.   
"She was different all right. Not like other nobles at all." Rei said quietly. Pluto nodded.   
"She doesn't completely remember her past dduring the Silver Millenium, but she remembers some of it."   
"Are we going to make her remember?" Hotaru asked.   
"She will remember in her own time, but considering the circumstances, it is neccessary to make her remember. When she shows up next time, do not let her leave."   
"But she and her boyfriend can travel through shadows. How do we stop that?" Rei asked.   
"Make sure she doesn't leave. I will come and help you in regaining her memory." Pluto said. She stepped back. "Until then." With that, she disappeared in a flash of bright light. Everyone looked at the spot she had been and then they burst out talking.   
"We have to get her memories back!" Rei said.   
"What if she doesn't want them back?" Hotaru asked.   
"Whether or not she wants them, we need her. We need them both. You've seen their power." Haruka said. Everyone nodded. There was a thoughtful silence.   
"Oh no! Look at the time! I have got to get home! Come on Luna!" Not giving her cat a time to react, Usagi grabbed her and made a break for the door. She paused before turning around and kissing Mamoru's cheek. "Bye Mamo-chan! Talk later! Oh, Mom's going to kill me!" She sprinted off. Everyone watched her with a large sweatdrop rolling down their heads. When they all thought about it, they decided that maybe it was time to go. They all went their separate ways. 

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Terra." Mamoru said sadly as he looked out across the neon lit streets of Tokyo.   
"I'll protect you this time around." His stormy blue eyes closed as the wind swept out and wrapped around him like a gentle embrace. He sighed deeply, taking in a lungful of the comforting air before he turned and went to his room. As he lay in his bed and slowly fell asleep, an image of laughing violet eyes sprang into his mind.   
"I promise I'll protect you." He whispered. 


End file.
